Effects of initial handling and training on autonomic nervous function in young Thoroughbreds.
Abstract: To determine the effects of initial handling and training on autonomic nervous functions in young Thoroughbreds. Methods: 63 healthy Thoroughbreds. Methods: All horses were trained to be handled and initially ridden in September of the yearling year and then trained until the following April by conventional training regimens. To obtain the heart rate (HR), electrocardiograms were recorded in the stable before initial handling and training and following 7 months of training; variations in HR were then evaluated from the power spectrum in terms of the low frequency (LF; 0.01 to 0.07 Hz) power and high frequency (HF; 0.07 to 0.6 Hz) power as indices of autonomic nervous activity. To evaluate the fitness, the V200 (velocity at HR of 200 beat/min), which is reflective of the aerobic capacity of the horse, was measured. Results: Mean (+/- SE) resting HR decreased significantly from 41.5 +/- 0.8 to 38.7 +/- 0.4 beat/min following 7 months of training. The LF power of horses increased significantly from 1,037 +/- 128 milliseconds2 in September of the yearling year to 2,944 +/- 223 milliseconds2 in the following April. Similarly, the HF power increased significantly from 326 +/- 30 milliseconds2 to 576 +/- 39 milliseconds2 at the corresponding time points. The V200 increased significantly following training. Conclusions: Increases in LF and HF powers indicate that parasympathetic nervous activity increases in horses by 7 months of training. The decrease in resting HR may be dependent on the training-induced increase of parasympathetic nervous activity in Thoroughbreds.
Publication Date: 2002-11-14 PubMed ID: 12428655DOI: 10.2460/ajvr.2002.63.1488Google Scholar: Lookup
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Summary
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The research focused on studying the impact of initial handling and training on the autonomic nervous functions of young Thoroughbreds. The study found that such training leads to increased parasympathetic nervous activity in the horses, indicated by a decreased resting heart rate and a significant increase in heart rate variability.
Research Methodology
- The study involved 63 healthy Thoroughbreds. All horses were trained to be handled and initially ridden in September of the yearling year.
- The training continued until the following April using conventional training regimens.
- To gauge the heart rate (HR), electrocardiograms were recorded in a stable environment before beginning the initial handling and training and after 7 months of training.
- The variations in heart rate were evaluated from the power spectrum considering the low frequency (LF; 0.01 to 0.07 Hz) power and high frequency (HF; 0.07 to 0.6 Hz) power as manifestation of autonomic nervous activity.
- Fitness levels were measured assessing the V200 (velocity at HR of 200 beats/min), which is suggestive of a horse’s aerobic capacity.
Results of the Study
- The average resting heart rate declined significantly from 41.5 +/- 0.8 to 38.7 +/- 0.4 beats/min after 7 months of training.
- The low-frequency power of the horses amplified considerably from 1,037 +/- 128 milliseconds2 in September of the yearling year to 2,944 +/- 223 milliseconds2 in the subsequent April.
- The high-frequency power also rose significantly from 326 +/- 30 milliseconds2 to 576 +/- 39 milliseconds2 during the same time period.
- The V200 measurement, indicative of the horses’ fitness or aerobic capacity, registered a significant increase after training.
Conclusions of the Study
- The pronounced rises in both low and high-frequency powers indicate that the parasympathetic nervous activity in horses amplifies after 7 months of training.
- The observed decrease in resting heart rate could be attributed to the training-induced augmentation of parasympathetic nervous activity in Thoroughbreds.
Cite This Article
APA
Ohmura H, Hiraga A, Aida H, Kuwahara M, Tsubone H.
(2002).
Effects of initial handling and training on autonomic nervous function in young Thoroughbreds.
Am J Vet Res, 63(11), 1488-1491.
https://doi.org/10.2460/ajvr.2002.63.1488 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Equine Science Division, Hidaka Training and Research Center, Japan Racing Association, Hokkaido.
MeSH Terms
- Animals
- Autonomic Nervous System / physiology
- Electrocardiography, Ambulatory / veterinary
- Female
- Heart Rate / physiology
- Horses / physiology
- Male
- Physical Conditioning, Animal / physiology
Citations
This article has been cited 10 times.- Nissen SD, Weis R, Krag-Andersen EK, Hesselkilde EM, Isaksen JL, Carstensen H, Kanters JK, Linz D, Sanders P, Hopster-Iversen C, Jespersen T, Pehrson S, Buhl R. Electrocardiographic characteristics of trained and untrained standardbred racehorses. J Vet Intern Med 2022 May;36(3):1119-1130.
- Nyerges-Bohák Z, Nagy K, Rózsa L, Póti P, Kovács L. Heart rate variability before and after 14 weeks of training in Thoroughbred horses and Standardbred trotters with different training experience. PLoS One 2021;16(12):e0259933.
- Gehlen H, Faust MD, Grzeskowiak RM, Trachsel DS. Association Between Disease Severity, Heart Rate Variability (HRV) and Serum Cortisol Concentrations in Horses with Acute Abdominal Pain. Animals (Basel) 2020 Sep 2;10(9).
- Ohmura H, Jones JH. Changes in heart rate and heart rate variability as a function of age in Thoroughbred horses. J Equine Sci 2017;28(3):99-103.
- Hiraga A, Sugano S. Studies on the exercise physiology of draft horses performed in Japan during the 1950s and 1960s. J Equine Sci 2017;28(1):1-12.
- Hiraga A, Sugano S. Studies on exercise physiology and performance testing of racehorses performed in Japan during the 1930s using recovery rate as an index. J Equine Sci 2016;27(4):131-142.
- Hiraga A, Sugano S. History of research in Japan on electrocardiography in the racehorse. J Equine Sci 2015;26(1):1-13.
- Rezakhani A, Godarzi M, Tabatabei Naeini I. A combination of atrioventricular block and sinoatrial block in a horse. Acta Vet Scand 2005;46(3):173-5.
- Nyerges-Bohák Z, Kovács L, Povázsai Á, Hamar E, Póti P, Ladányi M. Heart rate variability in horses with and without severe equine asthma. Equine Vet J 2025 May;57(3):611-618.
- Flores JEM, Terrazas A, Lara Sagahon AV, Aleman M. Parasympathetic tone activity, heart rate, and grimace scale in conscious horses of 3 breeds before, during, and after nociceptive mechanical stimulation. J Vet Intern Med 2024 Sep-Oct;38(5):2739-2747.
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