Use of the relationship between blood lactate and running speed to determine the exercise intensity of horses.

This research looks into the correlation between blood lactate levels and running speed in thoroughbred horses, in order to predict exercise intensity. The study found a significant positive correlation, suggesting that blood lactate levels can be used to predict the physical exertion of horses during field exercise.

Methodology and Testing

• The study involved eight thoroughbred horses, trained for racing competition.
• These horses were subjected to a standardised incremental speed test to find out the relationship between their blood lactate concentrations and running speed.
• The test was carried out between 14 days before and 14 days after completing the standardised exercise test, where the horses were timed for runs ranging from 2000 to 6000 m.

Data Collection & Measurement

• The researchers measured the blood lactate concentration after each run.
• This measured value was then compared with the predicted blood lactate concentration derived from each individual horse’s blood lactate-running speed relationship curve, which was established from the original standardised exercise test.

Result Analysis

• A linear regression approach was used to evaluate the relationship between the predicted and the measured lactate concentrations.
• For 42 exercise runs, a significant positive correlation between the measured and the predicted lactate concentrations was found.
• The regression equation provided was: measured lactate (mmol/litre) = 1.01 predicted lactate (mmol/litre) -0.36, with a r2 of 0.79 which indicates a strong positive correlation. The standard error of estimate was 0-63 mmol/litre, and the significance was P < 0.001, which is statistically significant.

Conclusion

• The study concluded that the standardised exercise test could be effectively used to predict the blood lactate concentrations of horses after field exercise.
• This finding could help in managing the exercise regimes of racing horses, by using the blood lactate concentration as a definitive measure of the intensity of the horse’s exertion.