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Animals : an open access journal from MDPI2019; 9(11); doi: 10.3390/ani9110976

Effects of Horse Housing System on Energy Balance during Post-Exercise Recovery.

Abstract: This study examined the effects of two housing systems (free-range and box stalls) on recovery of energy balance after competition-like exercise in Standardbred horses. Eight adult geldings (mean age 11 years) were used. The study had a change-over design, with the box stall (BOX) and free-range group housing (FreeR) treatments each run for 21 days. The horses were fed forage ad libitum and performed two similar race-like exercise tests (ET), on day 7 and day 14 in each treatment. Forage intake was recorded during the last 6-7 days in each period. Blood samples were collected before, during, and until 44 h after ET. Voluntary forage intake (measured in groups with four horses in each group) was higher in FreeR horses than BOX horses (FreeR: 48, BOX: 39, standard error of the mean (SEM) 1.7 kg (p = 0.003)). Plasma non-esterified fatty acids (NEFA) was lower at 20-44 h of recovery than before in FreeR horses (p = 0.022), but not in BOX horses. Housing did not affect exercise heart rate, plasma lactate, plasma urea, or total plasma protein concentration. Thus the free-range housing system hastened recovery in Standardbred trotters, contradicting anecdotal claims that it delays recovery. The free-range housing also had positive effects on appetite and recovery of energy balance.
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Publication Date: 2019-11-14 PubMed ID: 31739646PubMed Central: PMC6912715DOI: 10.3390/ani9110976Google Scholar: Lookup
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Summary

This research summary has been generated with artificial intelligence and may contain errors and omissions. Refer to the original study to confirm details provided. Submit correction.

The abstract discusses a study on the impact of different horse housing methods on the recovery of energy balance after strenuous physical activity in Standardbred racehorses. The findings show that free-range housing supports a quicker recovery process and improved feed intake compared to box stall housing.

Research Methodology

  • The researchers used eight geldings, or castrated male horses, as their subjects, all of which were approximately eleven years old.
  • The study employed a change-over design, meaning that it tested each housing method–free-range group housing (FreeR) and box stall (BOX)–for 21 days each.
  • On the 7th and 14th days of each treatment, the horses performed a race-like exercise. Blood samples were collected from the horses before, during, and up to 44 hours after the exercise test.
  • During the final 6-7 days of each experiment, the forage intake of each horse was logged. Forage refers to the plant material that horses naturally eat, and this diet was provided unlimited, or “ad libitum”, during the study.

Research Findings

  • The horses kept in free-range housing consumed more forage than those kept in box stalls. This measure of appetite or voluntary forage intake was quantified in groups of four horses from each housing group.
  • The researchers measured plasma non-esterified fatty acids (NEFA), a type of fat molecule in the blood, at 20-44 hours of recovery. In the free-range group, the NEFA values were lower at this point compared to their pre-exercise levels, indicating that these horses recovered their energy balance more rapidly. In the box-stall group, no such decrease was observed.
  • The two methods of housing did not show significant differences on other measured parameters like heart rate during exercise or concentrations of certain substances in the plasma such as lactate, urea, and total proteins.

Conclusion

  • The findings contradict common beliefs that free-range housing can delay a horse’s recovery. In contrast, it seems to accelerate the recovery process in Standardbred horses after exercise.
  • Additionally, free-range housing seems to lead to an increased appetite in the horses, which could aid in the recovery of energy balance after strenary activity.

Cite This Article

APA
Connysson M, Rhodin M, Jansson A. (2019). Effects of Horse Housing System on Energy Balance during Post-Exercise Recovery. Animals (Basel), 9(11). https://doi.org/10.3390/ani9110976

Publication

Animals : an open access journal from MDPI
ISSN: 2076-2615
NlmUniqueID: 101635614
Country: Switzerland
Language: English
Volume: 9
Issue: 11

Researcher Affiliations

Connysson, Malin
  • Wången National Center for Education in Trotting, Vången 110, S-835 93 Alsen, Sweden.
Rhodin, Marie
  • Department of Anatomy, Physiology and Biochemistry, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, SE-75007 Uppsala, Sweden.
Jansson, Anna
  • Department of Anatomy, Physiology and Biochemistry, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, SE-75007 Uppsala, Sweden.

Grant Funding

  • H-16-47-194 / Swedish-Norwegian Foundation for Equine Research

Conflict of Interest Statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest. The funders had no role in the design of the study; in the collection, analyses, or interpretation of data; in the writing of the manuscript; or in the decision to publish the results.

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