Electrointestinography, ultrasonographic contractility, and borborygmi of the cecum and colon are not altered by a single episode of hand walking exercise in healthy horses.

The research examines the impacts of hand walking exercise on the gastrointestinal activity of healthy horses, and finds that a single instance of such exercise does not significantly influence their myoelectrical activity or contractility.

Objective and Methodology

The study was developed with the idea to assess the effect that hand walking exercise has on the myoelectrical activity and contractility in healthy horses. The researchers used a prospective experimental design and a convenience sample of 8 horses, which were randomized to either a control or hand walking treatment group. Each horse experienced both treatments. The sequence started with a baseline electrointestinography (EIG), followed by either stall resting or hand walking for 15 minutes. The EIG was then immediately redone and reassessed at 2 hours.

• During the EIG, ultrasonography and auscultation were used to monitor the contractions of the cecum and left ventral colon (LVC).
• EIG spectral analysis was done to obtain dominant frequency (DF), dominant power (DP), total power (TP) frequency distribution, as well as changes in slow-wave rhythmic activity.

Results

The findings suggested no significant changes in electrointestinogastric activities due to a short episode of hand walking exercise. Specific observations include:

• The median DF in cycles per minute (cpm) appeared higher for the cecum compared to the LVC but didn’t change considerably due to either treatment.
• Cecal DP was higher than LVC DP in the hand walking group, however, DP and TP were not impacted by either treatment over time.
• There were no noticeable changes in borborygmi (bowel sounds) at all time points in both treatment groups.
• The ultrasonographic contractions were similar across both treatment groups over time and matched with borborygmi.
• There was no correlation discovered between dominant power and contractions or borborygmi.

Conclusions

Based on the results, the researchers concluded that a brief instance of hand walking does not materially impact the gastrointestinal motility, or the contractility or EIG in normal horses. Additionally, it was suggested that fasting and stall rest might not effectively represent the range of severity of gastrointestinal stasis as observed in clinical cases. The model used in the study can be applied directly to horses that are fasted before undergoing surgical procedures.