Heart rate and blood lactate responses during exercise in preparation for eventing competition.

The research article examines how the heart rate and blood lactate levels of elite event horses vary between regular training sessions and actual competition events. The findings suggest that the intensity of regular trainings is significantly lower than that of competitions, implying that many event horses aren’t adequately prepared for competition.

Objective and Hypothesis of the Study

• The purpose of this study was to investigate the variances in heart rate and blood lactate responses in event horses during their training and to compare them with the ones observed during the actual competition.
• The researchers hypothesized that the responses during training would be noticeably different from those during a competitive Cross-Country event.

Methodology

• For the purpose of this study, 13 elite event horses were observed. Heart rates and blood lactate concentrations were measured after intense exercise sessions during the latter stages of preparation for CCI*** or CCI**** 3-day-event competition.
• The average heart rate during exercise was noted to be 138 +/- 17 beats per minute (bpm), while the mean blood lactate concentration after exercise was 1.0 +/- 0.6 millimoles per liter (mmol/l).
• These outcomes were then compared to heart rates and blood lactate concentrations recorded during and following a CCI*** Cross Country course. This comparison was made using unpaired t-tests (unequal variances) and with a 99.9% confidence interval analysis.

Findings

• The mean heart rates recorded during competition and the blood lactate concentrations assessed afterward were calculated to be 195 +/- 8 bpm and 10.2 +/- 4.2 mmol/l respectively.
• The 99.9% confidence intervals for these results were between 183-207 bpm and 7.7-12.6 mmol/l.
• The heart rates and blood lactate concentrations taken during training sessions were found to be significantly lower than those observed during competition (P < 0.001), indicating a disparity between the intensity of training sessions and competitions. These figures were beyond the 99.9% confidence intervals for most horses.
• Out of all the horses, only a single one exhibited heart rates and blood lactate concentrations during exercise sessions that compared to those seen in competition.

Conclusion

• From these findings, the study concluded that the intensity of exercise during regular training sessions was substantially lower than during competition. This suggests that many event horses may not be receiving the rigorous training necessary to prepare them physically for competitive events.