Racing performance in red blood cell hypervolaemic standardbred trotters.
Abstract: The association between red blood cell hypervolaemia (RCHV) and racing performance was examined in 116 Standardbred trotters referred to the clinic during a 5 year period with histories of impaired racing performance. Red cell hypervolaemia was the only significant abnormality detected in a thorough clinical examination, cell volumes ranging 116-178% of the predicted normal values. They were also compared with the performance traits of the contemporary Swedish Standardbred trotter population (n = 58,058). The performance traits were based on earnings per year and start, best annual racing time, % placings 1 to 3, and calculated individual performance indices (PI) published in the Annual Statistics for Swedish Trotting. These parameters were transformed to approach normal distributions. The results indicated that horses developing RCHV tended to have been superior athletes initially compared to the contemporary population average. After 3 to 4 years of racing (at mean age +/- s.d. 5.5 +/- 1.5 years) their racing performance declined rapidly during the year of diagnosis of RCHV. Therefore, both earning and placing traits were reduced and best racing time increased. Further, the PI, well above the population average prior to diagnosis, was reduced significantly. During the 3 year period following diagnosis, a slight improvement in racing performance was noted although it was not restored to previous racing form. It was concluded that RCHV in the Standardbred trotter may denote the end of a successful racing career.
Publication Date: 2000-02-05 PubMed ID: 10659330DOI: 10.1111/j.2042-3306.1999.tb05296.xGoogle Scholar: Lookup
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- Journal Article
- Research Support
- Non-U.S. Gov't
- Age Factors
- Athletic Horses
- Athletic Performance
- Blood
- Clinical Examination
- Clinical Findings
- Comparative Study
- Diagnosis
- Disease Diagnosis
- Disease Etiology
- Epidemiology
- Equine Health
- Hemoglobin
- Horse Racing
- Horses
- Performance Horses
- Physiology
- Red Blood Cells
- Standardbred Horses
- Veterinary Medicine
- Veterinary Research
Summary
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This research article studies the relationship between Red Blood Cell Hypervolaemia (RCHV) and racing performance among Standardbred trotters. It concludes that horses with this condition initially outperform their contemporaries but see a sharp decline in performance a few years into their racing careers.
Study Population and Process
- The researchers looked at 116 Standardbred trotters over a period of five years. These horses were referred to the clinic for RCHV with histories of declining racing performances.
- The horses’ red blood cell volumes were found to fall between 116-178% of normal values, identifying them as suffering from RCHV.
- For comparison, the performances of these horses were contrasted with the average performance of the contemporary Swedish Standardbred trotter population, which comprised 58,058 horses.
Performance Metrics
- Several metrics were used to measure the horses’ performance: earnings per year and per race, best annual racing time, the percentage of races where they placed in the top three (1 to 3) and individual performance indices (PI).
- The researchers had these metrics transformed to approach normal distributions for the purpose of comparison.
Findings
- Initially, the horses with RCHV were found to have been superior athletes compared to the average performance of the contemporary population.
- After about 3 to 4 years of racing, these horses experienced a steep decline in their racing performance during the RCHV diagnosis year. Both their earnings and placements were reduced, while their best racing times increased.
- Their performance index, which had previously been well above average, also significantly decreased following the RCHV diagnosis.
- An improvement in performance was observed three years post-diagnosis, though it did not reach previously attained levels.
Conclusion
- The researchers concluded that RCHV in Standardbred trotters could signal the end of a successful racing career. The condition might be the precursor to a decline in performance.
Cite This Article
APA
Persson SG, Osterberg I.
(2000).
Racing performance in red blood cell hypervolaemic standardbred trotters.
Equine Vet J Suppl(30), 617-620.
https://doi.org/10.1111/j.2042-3306.1999.tb05296.x Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden.
MeSH Terms
- Animals
- Blood Volume
- Erythrocytes
- Horses / physiology
- Physical Conditioning, Animal / physiology
- Prognosis
- Running / physiology
- Sports
Citations
This article has been cited 1 times.- Izzati MRNZ, Noraniza MA, Adamu L, Rasedee A. Validity of an established metabolic disorder index as a predictor for metabolic eliminations in endurance horses. Int J Vet Sci Med 2018 Dec;6(2):227-232.
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