Influence of trotting and supplemental weight on metacarpal bone development.

This research paper investigates how carrying weight during training can alter the bone strength of horses, demonstrating that weight training can help to increase bone mineral deposition (particularly in the third metacarpi) when trained at slow speeds, and highlights the potential for bone loss when horses do not have enough exercise.

Objective & Methodology

• The primary objective of this research was to study the effect of weight training on bone development in horses. The research recognized that bones respond to loading (or weight-bearing exercise) and aimed to understand if carrying weight during training results in changes in the horse’s bones, specifically in their third metacarpi.
• In order to investigate this, seventeen horses were divided into three groups: a control group that exercised without any added weight; a second group that trained with gradually increasing weight up to 45 kg; and a third group that also carried weight but supplemented with a myo-anabolic compound.
• These horses were monitored over 108 days, with bone mineral content measured in various zones of the third metacarpi (MCIII) on 4 different occasions. These occasions were at baseline (prior to any changes in exercise), pre-conditioning following a 108-day period of stall confinement, mid-conditioning, and end-conditioning.

Findings & Conclusion

• The study found that the period of stall confinement resulted in a loss of mineral in the lateral and medial cortices of both MCIII – essentially showing that a lack of exercise resulted in bone loss.
• However, during the conditioning period (trainings), the group carrying weights showed an increase in bone mineral deposition in the lateral and medial cortices of MCIII of the left (inside) leg compared to the control group that was exercising without weight.
• In the right leg though, at Day 39, the controls had lower mineral content than the weight-carrying horses. But, by Day 78, there was no discernible difference in mineral content between the groups.
• From this, it can be inferred that exercising while carrying weight has a beneficial impact on the bone mass of horses. Notably, the increase in weight-related mineral deposition was seen when horses were trained at low speeds, suggesting that the weight training influenced the strengthening and growth of bone in a condition of slow, steady exercise.
• The study concludes by re-emphasizing the potential for bone loss when horses are not given sufficient exercise. As such, the experiment demonstrates that weight management through both diet and exercise is crucial for maintaining the bone health in horses.