The effect of exercise on bone growth and development in weanling horses.
Abstract: Nineteen weanling horses (average age = 147 d) were divided into exercised (EX; n = 10) and nonexercised (NEX; n = 9) groups, with age, sex and breed represented as equally as possible. The EX group was exercised on an automatic walker at a medium trot for up to 20 min, 5 d each week. Both groups were fed to meet 100% of their protein and 110% of their energy requirements (NRC, 1978). The EX group's diet was supplemented, on exercise days, with corn starch to meet the additional energy requirements for exercise. The experiment was conducted over a 111-d period. Body weight was measured at 10-d intervals, and height at the withers and metacarpal circumference was measured at 20-d intervals. Radiographs of the distal radius, metacarpal joint and the proximal and distal ends of the third metacarpal were taken at 147, 218 and 255 d of age to determine bone density and to observe any possible bone abnormalities. There were no differences between groups in weight or wither height gain; however, gain in third metacarpal circumference was greater (P less than .01) in the EX group than in the NEX group from 167 to 215 d of age. Bone density in the EX group increased by a greater amount (P less than .06) than in the NEX group by the end of the trial. There were no lameness problems or bone abnormalities observed in either group. Exercise training of horses during the weanling to yearling age period was shown to improve the stress-bearing characteristics (radiographic bone density and metacarpal circumference) of the third metacarpal without affecting the quantity of body growth.
Publication Date: 1989-10-01 PubMed ID: 2808156DOI: 10.2527/jas1989.67102508xGoogle Scholar: Lookup
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- Journal Article
Summary
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The objective of this study was to observe the impact of exercise on bone growth and development in young horses, and it found that exercising these young horses led to an increase in bone density and the size of a specific bone without affecting overall body growth.
Study Overview
- The researchers for this study conducted an experiment on nineteen weanling (young) horses. These horses were split into two groups: one that was regularly exercised (EX) and one that wasn’t (NEX). This experiment was structured in such a way to ensure a similar distribution of age, sex, and breed in both groups.
- The exercise for the EX group involved the use of an automatic trotter, in which the horses were made to trot moderately for a maximum of 20 minutes, five days a week.
- The horses were all fed adequately to meet their nutritional needs. However, on exercise days, the diet of the EX group was further supplemented with corn starch to cater for the extra energy used in the exercise.
- The study lasted for a period of 111 days during which various parameters such as body weight, height at the withers, circumference of the metacarpal, and bone density were measured at different intervals.
Findings
- The result of the study showed that while there were no significant differences in body weight or height gain between the two groups, the EX group had a higher increase in the circumference of the third metacarpal from the 167th to 215th day of age.
- Bone density also increased significantly in the EX group compared to the NEX group by the end of the study.
- There was no sign of lameness problems or bone abnormalities in the horses from either group. This suggests that the exercise routine did not have any adverse effects on the overall health or skeletal structure of the horses.
Conclusion
- Based on these findings, the researchers concluded that exercising weanling to yearling horses could improve the density of bones and the stress-bearing features of the third metacarpal.
- This exercise does not affect the overall growth of the body, indicating that exercise can be beneficial for the skeletal development of young horses without having adverse impacts on their general body growth.
Cite This Article
APA
Raub RH, Jackson SG, Baker JP.
(1989).
The effect of exercise on bone growth and development in weanling horses.
J Anim Sci, 67(10), 2508-2514.
https://doi.org/10.2527/jas1989.67102508x Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- University of Kentucky, Lexington 40546.
MeSH Terms
- Animals
- Body Weight
- Bone Density
- Bone Development
- Diet
- Dietary Proteins / administration & dosage
- Female
- Horses / growth & development
- Male
- Physical Conditioning, Animal
- Random Allocation
- Weaning
Citations
This article has been cited 5 times.- Yamada K, Sato F, Higuchi T, Nishihara K, Kayano M, Sasaki N, Nambo Y. Experimental investigation of bone mineral density in Thoroughbreds using quantitative computed tomography. J Equine Sci 2015;26(3):81-7.
- Jonckheer-Sheehy VS, Houpt KA. Management methods to improve the welfare of horses used in research. Lab Anim (NY) 2015 Sep;44(9):350-8.
- Gabriel A, Jolly S, Detilleux J, Dessy-Doize C, Collin B, Reginster JY. Morphometric study of the equine navicular bone: variations with breeds and types of horse and influence of exercise. J Anat 1998 Nov;193 ( Pt 4)(Pt 4):535-49.
- Johansson L, Ringmark S, Bergquist J, Skiöldebrand E, Widgren A, Jansson A. A proteomics perspective on 2 years of high-intensity training in horses: a pilot study. Sci Rep 2024 Oct 10;14(1):23684.
- Ishimaru M, Tsuchiya T, Endo Y, Matsui A, Ohmura H, Murase H, Korosue K, Sato F, Taya K. Effects of different winter paddock management of Thoroughbred weanlings and yearlings in the cold region of Japan on physiological function, endocrine function and growth. J Vet Med Sci 2024 Jul 2;86(7):756-768.
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