Relationship between serum cortisol levels and some physiological parameters following reining training session in horse.

The research investigates how a reining training session impacts the physiological parameters of eight Quarter Horses, specifically by monitoring the changes in cortisol, red blood cell count, hemoglobin, hematocrit, heart rate, respiratory rate, and rectal temperature.

Objective of the Study

• The primary goal of this research was to understand the changes in specific physiological parameters in horses following a reining training session. This included an assessment of the alterations in cortisol levels, red blood cell (RBC) count, hemoglobin (Hb), hematocrit (Hct), heart rate (HR), respiratory rate (RR), and rectal temperature (RT).

Methodology

• The experiment involved eight Quarter Horses, amongst which the listed parameters were measured at different times. The measurements were taken before exercise (T0), immediately after exercise (T1), one hour after exercise (T2), two hours after exercise (T3), and finally 24 hours after exercise (T4).
• The changes in these measurements were analyzed using One-way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) for repeated measures. This was followed by Bonferroni’s post hoc test to better understand the significance of the changes observed.

Results

• The research found a significant effect of the reining training session on the observed parameters. A consistent change was observed in cortisol, RBC, Hb, Hct, HR, RR, and RT levels.
• The study also indicated a positive correlation between cortisol changes and variations of the studied parameters in T1, T3, and T4 measurements.

Conclusion

• The results demonstrate that exercise-induced cortisol concentrations reflect the physiological response of reining training in horses.
• The findings suggest that these changes can be useful in assessing the performance of horses participating in reining training and their adaptability to such exercises.