Using eye temperature and heart rate for stress assessment in young horses competing in jumping competitions and its possible influence on sport performance.
Abstract: The aims of this study were, first, to evaluate eye temperature (ET) with infrared thermography and heart rate (HR) to measure stress in horses during show jumping competitions and their relationship with competition results, and second, to evaluate the influence of different extrinsic and intrinsic factors of the horse on the stress measurements analysed. One hundred and seventy-three Spanish Sport Horses were analysed for ET and HR, and these measurements were taken 3 h before the competition, just after and 3 h after it. Two interval measurements were also assessed for each parameter. Positive significant correlations were found between ET and HR, measured before (r=0.23), just after competition (r=0.28) and for the later interval (r=0.26), whereas negative correlations with competition results were found only for ET when measured just after competing (r=-0.25). Two intrinsic factors (genetic line and age) and no extrinsic factors showed significant differences for ET, whereas one intrinsic factor (age) and two extrinsic factors (journey duration and number of training hours) showed significant differences for HR. The marginal means showed significantly higher ET values for the Anglo-Arab genetic line and for 5-year-old animals. HR values were significantly higher for 4-year-old animals, for horses which had travelled 4 to 6 h and for horses that had 3 to 6 h of daily training. This study suggests that, although ET and HR seemed to share a similar physiological basis, the factors that most influenced each parameter were different. Finally, ET seems to be a suitable tool for assessing stress during show jumping competitions in horses.
Publication Date: 2013-09-26 PubMed ID: 24067493DOI: 10.1017/S1751731113001626Google Scholar: Lookup
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- Journal Article
Summary
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The research is a study examining the usage of eye temperature (ET) and heart rate (HR) as indicators of stress in horses during show jumping competitions and its potential impact on their performance. The study also looked at how various internal and external horse factors might affect these stress measurements.
Objective of the Study
- The study aimed to evaluate the use of eye temperature and heart rate to measure stress levels in horses during show jumping competitions and how this stress correlates with their competition results.
- Another purpose of this study was to identify the influence of different intrinsic (internal) and extrinsic (external) factors of the horses on these stress measurements.
Methodology
- The study involved observation and analysis of 173 Spanish Sport Horses. Their eye temperature and heart rate were measured at three different time intervals: 3 hours before the competition, immediately after the competition, and 3 hours post-competition.
- In addition to these measurements, two interval measurements were performed on each parameter for further accuracy.
Key Findings
- Significant positive correlations were discovered between eye temperature and heart rate at all the measurement times.
- Negative correlations were only found between eye temperature and competition results when measured directly after the competition.
- Two intrinsic factors, genetic line and age, showed significant differences for eye temperature, with no external factors making a significant impact.
- Contrarily, age (an intrinsic factor) along with journey duration and number of training hours (both extrinsic factors) showcased significant differences for heart rate.
- The study found considerably higher eye temperature values for the Anglo-Arab genetic line and five-year-old horses. Horses that were four years old, had traveled for 4-6 hours, and had a training regimen of 3-6 hours daily exhibited higher heart rates.
Conclusions
- The research suggests that while eye temperature and heart rate have a similar physiological basis, the factors that significantly influence each parameter differ.
- Significantly, it suggests that eye temperature can be an effective tool for assessing stress during show jumping competitions in horses.
Cite This Article
APA
Bartolomé E, Sánchez MJ, Molina A, Schaefer AL, Cervantes I, Valera M.
(2013).
Using eye temperature and heart rate for stress assessment in young horses competing in jumping competitions and its possible influence on sport performance.
Animal, 7(12), 2044-2053.
https://doi.org/10.1017/S1751731113001626 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- 1 Departamento de Ciencias Agroforestales, ETSIA, Universidad de Sevilla, Ctra. Utrera, km1, 41013 Sevilla, Spain.
MeSH Terms
- Aging
- Animals
- Body Temperature
- Female
- Heart Rate / physiology
- Horses / physiology
- Male
- Ocular Physiological Phenomena
- Physical Conditioning, Animal
- Sports
- Stress, Physiological / physiology
Citations
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