Quantitative modeling reveals prolonged lactate clearance in young and unraced Jeju horses following high-intensity exercise under passive recovery conditions.

The research article examined how quickly horses from the Jeju breed clear lactate from their systems after high-intensity exercise. The study found that lactate clearance was slower in younger and unraced horses, and the results provide insight into how training adaptations impact lactate recovery and stress the need for optimized recovery strategies.

Objective and Methodology

• The main objective of the research was to analyze lactate recovery kinetics in Jeju horses – a less known breed, in relation to diverse variables such as age, sex, racing experience, and running speed. The ultimate goal was to deduce the time taken for blood lactate clearance under natural recovery conditions that mirror current management methods used in Jeju horses.
• The blood lactate concentration (BLC) was measured in 40 race-trained Jeju horses aged between 2 to 4 years at different time intervals – at baseline, 10 minutes after 800-meter barrier trials, and 50 minutes after 800-meter barrier trials.
• Lactate clearance was modeled using a method called nonlinear regression with an exponential decay function.

Findings

• The average BLC values at baseline, 10 minutes after the trial, and 50 minutes after the trial were recorded.
• It was discovered that at T2 (50 minutes after the trial), BLC was significantly higher in 2-year-old horses and unraced horses. However, no significant difference was observed regarding the sex of the horses, amongst the 3- and 4-year-old groups, or with diverse qualifying running speeds.
• The model developed for lactate clearance predicted that BLC falls below 2 mmol/L (millimoles per liter) in approximately 110 minutes under passive recovery conditions.

Implications

• This study demonstrated that lactate clearance was slower in younger and unraced horses. This underscores the significance of adaptations gained through training.
• The study was conducted under passive recovery conditions. Therefore, the results provide a reference point for Jeju horses currently handled without active recovery, highlighting the need for organized protocols to further optimize recovery strategies after exercise.
• In conclusion, the study provides basic data on post-exercise lactate clearance in Jeju horses and emphasizes the potential advantages of including active recovery in training practices.