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Home / Equine Research Bank / J Vet Intern Med / Oxygen consumption, locomotory-respiratory coupling and exer...
Journal of veterinary internal medicine2024; 38(6); 3337-3345; doi: 10.1111/jvim.17226

Oxygen consumption, locomotory-respiratory coupling and exercise-induced pulmonary hemorrhage in horses during the Paso Fino gait.

Abstract: Workload associated with the high frequency Colombian Paso Fino gait has not been evaluated. Objective: To determine the oxygen consumption (V̇O), heart rate (HR), stride frequency: breathing ratio, and hematology associated with the Paso Fino gait, including whether exercise-induced pulmonary hemorrhage (EIPH) occurs. Methods: Eleven Paso Fino horses. Methods: Prospective cohort study. Horses performed a standardized Paso Fino gait test across a wooden sounding board, simulating competition. V̇O and ventilatory parameters (tidal volume [V]; peak inspiratory and expiratory airflows [PkV̇, PkV̇]; respiratory rate [RR], minute ventilation [V̇E]) were measured using a portable ergospirometry facemask. Heart rate was measured using electrocardiograms. Post-exercise lactate, hematocrit, bicarbonate, pH, electrolytes, and biochemistry concentrations were measured. EIPH was assessed via tracheobronchoscopy. Four horses completed a secondary high-intensity gallop to elicit peak V̇O for comparative purposes. Results: Median [IQR] mean individual HR during the Paso Fino gait was 190 [178, 201] bpm. Relative V̇O measured 49.8 [48.4, 59.5] mL/(kg min; V = 8.6 [8.0, 10.7] L; RR = 87.1 [75.4, 99.5] bpm; V̇E = 869 [740, 902] L/min; PkV̇ = 33.4 [32.7, 37.2] L/s; PkV̇ = 44.2 [40.3, 46.0] L/s). Horses took 2.8 [2.7, 2.9] strides/second and had a stride frequency: breathing ratio of 2.0 [1.8, 2.3]. Post-exercise blood lactate concentration and hematocrit measured 2.7 mmol/L and 50% respectively. Three horses showed endoscopic evidence of Grade-1 EIPH. The Paso Fino gait V̇O and HR equaled 79% V̇Opk and 91% maximal HR, respectively, based on the high-intensity gallop. Conclusions: The Paso Fino gait represents submaximal exercise based on V̇O < V̇Opk and blood lactate.
© 2024 The Author(s). Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine.
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Publication Date: 2024-10-31 PubMed ID: 39482263PubMed Central: PMC11586544DOI: 10.1111/jvim.17226Google Scholar: Lookup
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Summary

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The research investigates the physical demands and implications of the characteristic gait of the Colombian Paso Fino horses, specifically the oxygen consumption, heart rate, stride-to-breathing ratio, and the potential for exercise-induced pulmonary hemorrhage.

Research Methodology and Subjects

  • The study involved a cohort of eleven Paso Fino horses.
  • The horses underwent a standardized test that mimicked competition conditions, using a specific wooden sounding board to simulate the Paso Fino gait.
  • The researchers monitored various physiological responses of the horses—oxygen consumption (V̇O), heart rate, stride frequency, and interrelated respiration statistics—including the volume of inhaled and exhaled air (V), peak inspiratory and expiratory airflows (PkV̇), respiratory rate (RR), and ventilation per minute (V̇E).
  • They also recorded post-exercise changes in the horses’ lactate, hematocrit (a measure of red blood cell concentration), bicarbonate (a regulated component of blood), pH, electrolyte, and other biochemical concentrations. These parameters offer insight into the physical exertion and strain experienced by the horses during the exercise.

Findings

  • The data collected revealed an average heart rate of 190 beats per minute (bpm) among the horses when performing the Paso Fino gait.
  • The study also found that the horses took an average of 2.8 strides per second and had a stride_frequency: breathing_ratio of approximately 2.0.
  • Post-exercise measurements showed a lactate concentration of 2.7 mmol/L and hematocrit of 50%, highlighting substantial exertion and physiological changes.
  • The study discovered instances of exercise-induced pulmonary hemorrhage (EIPH), a condition involving bleeding in the lungs, in three horses. This was classified as Grade-1 EIPH, considered to be of a low severity level
  • Moreover, the researchers revealed that during the Paso Fino gait, the horses’ oxygen consumption (VO) and heart rate were equivalent to 79% and 91% of their respective maximum rates, which they obtained from a high-intensity gallop test carried out on four of the horses.

Conclusions

  • Based on the collected data it was concluded that, although the Paso Fino gait reflected substantial physiological exertion (as seen in the elevated heart rate, oxygen consumption, and blood lactate concentration), it still constituted a sub-maximal exercise compared to the strain of a high intensity gallop.

Cite This Article

APA
Massie S, Léguillette R, Bayly W, Sides R, Zuluaga-Cabrera AM. (2024). Oxygen consumption, locomotory-respiratory coupling and exercise-induced pulmonary hemorrhage in horses during the Paso Fino gait. J Vet Intern Med, 38(6), 3337-3345. https://doi.org/10.1111/jvim.17226

Publication

Journal of veterinary internal medicine
ISSN: 1939-1676
NlmUniqueID: 8708660
Country: United States
Language: English
Volume: 38
Issue: 6
Pages: 3337-3345

Researcher Affiliations

Massie, Shannon
  • Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
Léguillette, Renaud
  • Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
Bayly, Warwick
  • College of Veterinary Medicine, Washington State University, Grimes Way, Pullman, Washington, USA.
Sides, Ray
  • College of Veterinary Medicine, Washington State University, Grimes Way, Pullman, Washington, USA.
Zuluaga-Cabrera, Angélica María
  • Institución Universitaria Visión de las Américas, Medellín, Colombia.

MeSH Terms

  • Animals
  • Horses
  • Physical Conditioning, Animal
  • Prospective Studies
  • Male
  • Gait / physiology
  • Heart Rate
  • Female
  • Oxygen Consumption
  • Lung Diseases / veterinary
  • Lung Diseases / etiology
  • Lung Diseases / physiopathology
  • Horse Diseases / physiopathology
  • Horse Diseases / etiology
  • Hemorrhage / veterinary
  • Respiratory Rate
  • Cohort Studies

Grant Funding

  • Project Number P213-2024 / Institucion Universitaria Vision de las Americas

Conflict of Interest Statement

Authors declare no conflict of interest.

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Citations

This article has been cited 1 times.
  1. Zuluaga-Cabrera AM, Barbosa da Costa G, Martinez ID, Arias MP. Defining the Heart Rate Zone Corresponding to the Lactate Threshold in Colombian Paso Horses. Animals (Basel) 2025 Nov 17;15(22).
    doi: 10.3390/ani15223308pubmed: 41302017google scholar: lookup
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