FREE SHIPPING over $40
OVER 9000 FIVE-STAR REVIEWS
5% OFF ALL SUBSCRIPTIONS
100% HAPPINESS GUARANTEE
Analyze Diet
0
Home / Equine Research Bank / Animals (Basel) / Longitudinal Training and Workload Assessment in Young Fries...
Animals : an open access journal from MDPI2023; 13(4); doi: 10.3390/ani13040658

Longitudinal Training and Workload Assessment in Young Friesian Stallions in Relation to Fitness, Part 2-An Adapted Training Program.

Abstract: Young Friesian stallions have to complete a 10-week training program (70-day test) for acceptance as a breeding stallion. Part one of this study showed that the 70-day test was too intense and led to reduced fitness. In the present (part two) study, the effects of an adapted training program were studied. Training frequency and minutes of cantering per week were lowered compared with part one. The external workload (EW) of sixteen stallions (3.4 ± 0.8 years) was monitored during the 6-weeks before testing (preparation period) as well as during the 70-day test. Standardized exercise tests (SETs) were performed in week 1 (SET-I), 6 (SET-II), and 10 (SET-III) of the 70-day test, measuring heart rate (HR) and plasma lactate concentration (LA). Linear mixed effect models were used to analyze the EW, and the HR and LA related to the SETs. The EW increased from the preparation period to the 70-day test; this increase in the EW was lower compared with the original training program. The horses showed lower HR and LA levels in SET-III compared with SET-I. The young Friesian horses were at risk to be overtrained in part one, but the adapted training program resulted in increased fitness. This study shows that a carefully chosen program is necessary to improve the performance and welfare of (young) horses.
Get Full Text
Publication Date: 2023-02-14 PubMed ID: 36830445PubMed Central: PMC9951678DOI: 10.3390/ani13040658Google Scholar: Lookup
The Equine Research Bank provides access to a large database of publicly available scientific literature. Inclusion in the Research Bank does not imply endorsement of study methods or findings by Mad Barn.
LinkedInCopy
  • Journal Article

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 study investigates the effects of an adapted training program on young Friesian stallions. The results indicate that this modified program, which reduced training intensity compared to the traditional 70-day test, led to an overall increase in fitness levels in these horses.

Introduction to the study

  • The research is the second part of a study on the training impacts on the fitness of young Friesian stallions.
  • It responds to findings from part one, which showed that the traditional 70-day training test for selecting breeding stallions was too strenuous resulting in decreased fitness.
  • The goal was to see how modifying the training program would affect the fitness of these horses.

Details of the adapted training program

  • The adjusted program reduced the frequency and duration of intense trainings compared to the original one.
  • The researchers monitored the external workload (EW) of sixteen 3.4-year-old stallions during the six weeks between the preparation stage and the actual 70-day test.

Monitoring and measurement tools

  • Implementation of Standardized Exercise Tests (SETs) in week 1, 6, and 10 to track heart rate (HR) and plasma lactate concentration (LA).
  • Use of linear mixed effect models to analyze the computed data.

Findings

  • Although the EW of the horses increased from the preparation to the test stage, the rise was lower than what was observed under the former training plan.
  • The horses’ HR and LA levels in SET-III were lower than those in SET-I, showing that the adjustments reduced the physical strain of the training.
  • The modified training program improved the fitness of the horses compared to the findings in part one of the study, which had indicated risks of overtraining.

Conclusion

  • The findings suggest that while rigorous training is necessary for young horses, a carefully tailored program is paramount in maximizing performance while promoting their welfare.

Cite This Article

APA
Siegers E, van den Broek J, Sloet van Oldruitenborgh-Oosterbaan M, Munsters C. (2023). Longitudinal Training and Workload Assessment in Young Friesian Stallions in Relation to Fitness, Part 2-An Adapted Training Program. Animals (Basel), 13(4). https://doi.org/10.3390/ani13040658

Publication

Animals : an open access journal from MDPI
ISSN: 2076-2615
NlmUniqueID: 101635614
Country: Switzerland
Language: English
Volume: 13
Issue: 4

Researcher Affiliations

Siegers, Esther
  • Department of Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Yalelaan 114, 3584 CM Utrecht, The Netherlands.
van den Broek, Jan
  • Department of Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Yalelaan 114, 3584 CM Utrecht, The Netherlands.
Sloet van Oldruitenborgh-Oosterbaan, Marianne
  • Department of Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Yalelaan 114, 3584 CM Utrecht, The Netherlands.
Munsters, Carolien
  • Department of Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Yalelaan 114, 3584 CM Utrecht, The Netherlands.
  • Equine Integration, Groenstraat 2C, 5528 NS Hoogeloon, The Netherlands.

Grant Funding

  • KFPS
  • Equine Integration B.V.

Conflict of Interest Statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

References

This article includes 40 references
  1. . FEI Welfare Survey: Equine Ethics and Wellbeing Commission (FEI) Public Attitudes on the Use of Horses in Sport: Survey Report. 2022.
  2. Holmes TQ, Brown AF. Champing at the bit for improvements: A review of equine welfare in equestrian sports in the United Kingdom. Animals 2022;12:1186.
    doi: 10.3390/ani12091186pmc: PMC9100173pubmed: 35565612google scholar: lookup
  3. Castejon-Riber C, Riber C, Rubio MD, Agüera E, Muñoz A. Objectives, principles, and methods of strength training for horses. J. Equine Vet. Sci. 2017;56:93–103.
    doi: 10.1016/j.jevs.2017.04.011google scholar: lookup
  4. De Graaf-Roelfsema E, Keizer HA, van Breda E, Wijnberg ID, van der Kolk JH. Hormonal responses to acute exercise, training and overtraining. A review with emphasis on the horse. Vet. Q. 2007;29:82–101.
    doi: 10.1080/01652176.2007.9695232pubmed: 17970286google scholar: lookup
  5. Rivero JLL, van Breda E, Rogers CW, Lindner A, Sloet van Oldruitenborgh-Oosterbaan MM. Unexplained underperformance syndrome in sport horses: Classification, potential causes and recognition. Equine Vet. J. 2008;40:611–618.
    doi: 10.2746/042516408X299118pubmed: 18356127google scholar: lookup
  6. Meeusen R, Duclos M, Foster C, Fry A, Gleeson M, Nieman D, Raglin J, Rietjes G, Steinacker J, Urhausen A. Prevention, Diagnosis and Treatment of the Overtraining Syndrome: Joint consensus statement of the European college of sport science and the American college of Sports Medicine. Med. Sci. Sports Exerc. 2012;45:186–205.
    doi: 10.1080/17461391.2012.730061pubmed: 23247672google scholar: lookup
  7. Carrard J, Rigort A, Appenzeller-Herzog C, Colledge C, Königstein K, Hinrichs T, Schmidt-Trucksäss A. Diagnosing Overtraining Syndrome: A scoping review. Sport. Health. 2022;14:665–673.
    doi: 10.1177/19417381211044739pmc: PMC9460078pubmed: 34496702google scholar: lookup
  8. Rivero JLL. A Scientific Background for Skeletal Muscle Conditioning in Equine Practice. J. Vet. Med. 2007;54:321–332.
    doi: 10.1111/j.1439-0442.2007.00947.xpubmed: 17650153google scholar: lookup
  9. Crawford KL, Ahern BJ, Perkins NR, Phillips CJC, Finanne A. The effect of combined training and racing High-Speed Exercise history on musculoskeletal injuries in Thoroughbred Racehorses: A systematic review and meta-analysis of the current literature. Animals 2020;10:2091.
    doi: 10.3390/ani10112091pmc: PMC7696103pubmed: 33187122google scholar: lookup
  10. Munsters CCBM, Kingma BRM, van den Broek J, Sloet van Oldruitenborgh-Oosterbaan MM. A prospective cohort study on the acute:chronic workload ratio in relation to injuries in high level eventing horses: A comprehensive 3-year study. Prev. Vet. Med. 2020;179:105010.
    doi: 10.1016/j.prevetmed.2020.105010pubmed: 32447072google scholar: lookup
  11. Rogers CW, Bolwell CF, Gee EK, Rasanowski SM. Equine musculoskeletal development and performance: Impact of the production system and early training. Anim. Prod. Sci. 2020;60:2069–2079.
    doi: 10.1071/AN17685google scholar: lookup
  12. Rogers CW, Gee EG, Dittmer KE. Growth and bone development in the horse: When is a horse skeletally mature?. Animals 2021;11:3402.
    doi: 10.3390/ani11123402pmc: PMC8698045pubmed: 34944179google scholar: lookup
  13. Tanner JC, Rogers CW, Firth C. The association of 2-year-old training milestones with career length and racing success in a sample of Thoroughbred horses in New Zealand. Equine Vet. J. 2013;45:20–24.
    doi: 10.1111/j.2042-3306.2011.00534.xpubmed: 22320408google scholar: lookup
  14. Logan AA, Nielsen BD. Training young horses: The science behind the benefits. Animals 2021;11:463.
    doi: 10.3390/ani11020463pmc: PMC7916178pubmed: 33572461google scholar: lookup
  15. Velie BD, Knight PK, Thomson PC, Wade CM, Hamilton A. The association of age at first start with career length in the Australian thoroughbred racehorse population. Equine Vet. J. 2013;45:410–413.
    doi: 10.1111/j.2042-3306.2012.00651.xpubmed: 23009388google scholar: lookup
  16. Bolwell CF, Rogers CW, Rosanowski SM, Weston JF, Gee EK, Gordon SJG. Cross-Sectional Survey of the management and training practices of endurance horses in New Zealand: A pilot study. J. Equine Vet. Sci. 2015;35:801–806.
    doi: 10.1016/j.jevs.2015.07.019google scholar: lookup
  17. Webb HJ, Weston JF, Norman EJ, Cogger N, Bolwell CF, Rogers CW. A descriptive study of training methods for Fédération Equestre Internationale Endurance horses in New Zealand. J. Equine Vet. Sci. 2020;92:103155.
    doi: 10.1016/j.jevs.2020.103155pubmed: 32797783google scholar: lookup
  18. Legg K, Gee E, Bolwell C, Bridges J, Rogers CW. A Cross-Sectional Survey of the training and management of a cohort of 2-year-old standardbred racehorses in New Zealand. J. Equine Vet. Sci. 2020;87:102936.
    doi: 10.1016/j.jevs.2020.102936pubmed: 32172922google scholar: lookup
  19. Kingston JK, Soppet GM, Rogers CW, Firth EC. Use of a global positioning and heart rate monitoring system to assess training load in a group of Thoroughbred racehorses. Equine Vet. J. 2006;36:106–109.
    doi: 10.1111/j.2042-3306.2006.tb05523.xpubmed: 17402402google scholar: lookup
  20. Lindner A, Lopéz RA, Durante E, Ferreira V, Boffi FM. Conditioning horses at V10 3 times per week does not enhance V4. J. Equine Vet. Sci. 2009;28:828–832.
    doi: 10.1016/j.jevs.2009.10.012google scholar: lookup
  21. Lindner A, Lopez RA, Durante E, Hernandez H, Botta V, Sabada S, Boffi FM. Effect of conditioning horses every third day at V10 on measures of fitness. J. Anim. Physiol. Anim. Nutr. 2011;95:286–293.
    doi: 10.1111/j.1439-0396.2010.01053.xpubmed: 20880285google scholar: lookup
  22. Lindner A, Wegener J, Hartmann U. Description of the training and the associated changes in some biophysical variables of Standardbred racehorses during a racing season. Pferdeheilkunde 2019;35:498–505.
    doi: 10.21836/PEM20190602google scholar: lookup
  23. Crawford KL, Finnane A, Phillips CJC, Greer RM, Woldeyohannes SM, Perkins NR, Kidd LJ, Ahern BJ. The risk factors for musculoskeletal injuries in thoroughbred racehorses in Queensland, Australia: How these vary for two-year-old and older horses and with type of injury. Animals 2021;11:270.
    doi: 10.3390/ani11020270pmc: PMC7910838pubmed: 33494508google scholar: lookup
  24. Morrice-West AV, Hitchens PL, Walmsley EA, Stevenson MA, Whitton RC. Training practices, speed and distances undertaken by thoroughbred racehorses in Victoria, Australia. Equine Vet. J. 2020;52:273–280.
    doi: 10.1111/evj.13156pubmed: 31386764google scholar: lookup
  25. De Graaf-Roelfsema E, Veldhuis PP, Keizer HA, van Ginneken ME, van Dam KG, Johnson ML, Barneveld A, Menheere PPCA, van Breda E, Wijnberg ID. Overtrained horses alter their resting pulsatile growth hormone secretion. Am. J. Physiol. Regul. Comp. Physiol. 2009;297:R403–R411.
    doi: 10.1152/ajpregu.90778.2008pmc: PMC4062293pubmed: 19494168google scholar: lookup
  26. Mukai K, Ohmura H, Takahasi Y, Kiraoka Y, Takahasi T. Four weeks of high-intensity training in moderate, but not mild hypoxia improves performance and running economy more than normoxic training in horses. Physiol. Rep. 2021;9:e14760.
    doi: 10.14814/phy2.14760pmc: PMC7897453pubmed: 33611843google scholar: lookup
  27. Siegers E, van Wijk E, van den Broek J, Sloet van Oldruitenborgh-Oosterbaan M, Munsters C. Longitudinal training and workload assessment in young Friesian stallions in relation to fitness: Part 1. Animals 2023. accepted.
    pmc: PMC9952485pubmed: 36830476
  28. . KFPS Royal Friesian. .
  29. Almkvist A, Roepstorff L, Ringmark S. Sensor based training registration in riding horses—A pilot study. Proceedings of the 10th International Conference on Equine Exercise Physiology (ICEEP) Lorne, Australia. 12–16 November 2018.
  30. Darbandi H, Serra Bragança F, van der Zwaag BJ, Havinga P. Accurate Horse Gait Event Estimation Using an Inertial Sensor Mounted on Different Body Locations. Proceedings of the 2022 IEEE International Conference on Smart Computing (SMARTCOMP) Helsinki, Finland. 20–24 June 2022.
  31. Fenner K, Hyde M, Crean A, McGreevy P. Identifying sources of potential bias when using online survey data to explore horse training, management, and behaviour: A systematic literature review. Vet. Sci. 2020;7:140.
    doi: 10.3390/vetsci7030140pmc: PMC7558402pubmed: 32971754google scholar: lookup
  32. Veldman H, Rogers CW. A pilot study to quantify workload of advanced dressage horses. J. Vet. Behav. 2010;5:217.
    doi: 10.1016/j.jveb.2009.10.029google scholar: lookup
  33. Lönnell AC, Bröjer J, Nostell K, Hernlund E, Roepstorff L, Tranquille CA, Murray RC, Oomen A, van Weeren R, Bitschnau C. Variation in training regimens in professional showjumping yards. Equine Vet. J. 2014;46:233–238.
    doi: 10.1111/evj.12126pubmed: 23802646google scholar: lookup
  34. Soligard T, Schwellnus M, Alonso JM, Bahr R, Clarsen B, Dijkstra HP, Gabbett T, Gleeson M, Hägglund M, Hutchinson MR. Consensus statement: How much is too much? (Part 1) International Olympic Committee consensus statement on load in sport and risk of injury. Br. J. Sports Med. 2016;50:1030–1041.
    doi: 10.1136/bjsports-2016-096581pubmed: 27535989google scholar: lookup
  35. Gabett TJ. The training-injury prevention paradox: Should athletes be training smarter and harder?. Br. J. Sports Med. 2016;50:273–280.
    doi: 10.1136/bjsports-2015-095788pmc: PMC4789704pubmed: 26758673google scholar: lookup
  36. Maupin D, Schram B, Canetti E, Orr R. The relationship between Acute:Chronic Workload ratios and Injury Risk in Sports: A systematic Review. Open Access J. Sports Med. 2020;11:51–75.
    doi: 10.2147/OAJSM.S231405pmc: PMC7047972pubmed: 32158285google scholar: lookup
  37. Griffin A, Kenny IC, Comyns TM, Lyons M. The association between the Acute:Chronic Workload Ratio and injury and its application in team sports: A systematic review. Sports Med. 2020;50:561–580.
    doi: 10.1007/s40279-019-01218-2pubmed: 31691167google scholar: lookup
  38. Munsters CCBM, van den Broek J, Welling E, van Weeren R, Sloet van Oldruitenborgh-Oosterbaan MM. A prospective study on a cohort of horses and ponies selected for participation in the European Eventing Championship: Reason for withdrawal and predictive value of fitness tests. BMC Vet. Res. 2013;9:182.
    doi: 10.1186/1746-6148-9-182pmc: PMC3848563pubmed: 24034152google scholar: lookup
  39. Munsters CCBM, van den Broek J, van Weeren R, Sloet van Oldruitenborgh-Oosterbaan MM. Young Friesian horses show familiar aggregation in fitness response to a 7-week performance test. Vet. J. 2013;198:193–199.
    doi: 10.1016/j.tvjl.2013.07.023pubmed: 23973160google scholar: lookup
  40. De Bruijn CM, Houterman W, Ploeg M, Ducro B, Boshuizen B, Goethals K, Verdegaal EL, Delesalle C. Monitoring training response in young Friesian dressage horses using two different standardized exercise tests (SETs). BMC Vet. Res. 2017;13:49.
    doi: 10.1186/s12917-017-0969-8pmc: PMC5309987pubmed: 28196500google scholar: lookup

Citations

This article has been cited 2 times.
  1. Siegers EW, Parmentier JIM, Sloet van Oldruitenborgh-Oosterbaan MM, Munsters CCBM, Serra Bragança FM. Gait kinematics at trot before and after repeated ridden exercise tests in young Friesian stallions during a fatiguing 10-week training program. Front Vet Sci 2025;12:1456424.
    doi: 10.3389/fvets.2025.1456424pubmed: 39995550google scholar: lookup
  2. Santosuosso E, Léguillette R, Shoemaker S, Baumwart R, Temple S, Hemmerling K, Kell T, Bayly W. A consort-guided randomized, blinded, controlled clinical trial on the effects of 6 weeks training on heart rate variability in thoroughbred horses. J Vet Intern Med 2025 Jan-Feb;39(1):e17253.
    doi: 10.1111/jvim.17253pubmed: 39655519google scholar: lookup
Subscribe to our newsletter
Join 99,357 horse owners like you who receive our email updates on horse health and nutrition.