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Home / Equine Research Bank / BMC Vet Res / Workload of horses on a water treadmill: effect of speed and...
BMC veterinary research2017; 13(1); 360; doi: 10.1186/s12917-017-1290-2

Workload of horses on a water treadmill: effect of speed and water height on oxygen consumption and cardiorespiratory parameters.

Abstract: Despite the use of water treadmills (WT) in conditioning horses, the intensity of WT exercise has not been well documented. The workload on a WT is a function of water height and treadmill speed. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine the effects of these factors on workload during WT exercise. Fifteen client-owned Quarter Horses were used in a randomized, controlled study. Three belt speeds and three water heights (mid cannon, carpus and stifle), along with the control condition (dry treadmill, all three speeds), were tested. Measured outcomes were oxygen consumption (V̇O2), ventilation (respiratory frequency, tidal volume (VT)), heart rate (HR), and blood lactate. An ergospirometry system was used to measure V̇O2 and ventilation. Linear mixed effects models were used to examine the effects of presence or absence of water, water height and speed (as fixed effects) on measured outcomes. Results: Water height and its interaction with speed had a significant effect on V̇O2, VT and HR, all peaking at the highest water level and speed (stifle at 1.39 m/s, median V̇O2 = 16.70 ml/(kg.min), VT = 6 L, HR = 69 bpm). Respiratory frequency peaked with water at the carpus at 1.39 m/s (median 49 breaths/min). For a given water height, the small increments in speed did not affect the measured outcomes. Post-exercise blood lactate concentration did not change. Conclusions: Varying water height and speed affects the workload associated with WT exercise. The conditions utilized in this study were associated with low intensity exercise. Water height had a greater impact on exercise intensity than speed.
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Publication Date: 2017-11-28 PubMed ID: 29179766PubMed Central: PMC5704633DOI: 10.1186/s12917-017-1290-2Google Scholar: Lookup
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  • Journal Article

Summary

This research summary has been generated with artificial intelligence and may contain errors and omissions. Refer to the original study to confirm details provided. Submit correction.

The research article examines how the workload of horses on a water treadmill changes with different treadmill speeds and water heights. It analyzes these changes through various measured outcomes such as oxygen consumption, respiratory frequency, heart rate, and blood lactate levels.

Introduction and Objectives

  • The study seeks to clarify the degree of exertion for horses during exercise on a water treadmill (WT), an area not previously well-understood.
  • It hypothesizes that exertion levels (or ‘workload’) is influenced by two main factors: the height of water in the WT and the speed of the treadmill.

Research Design

  • The experiment involved testing 15 Quarter Horses, owned by clients, in a randomized, controlled study.
  • Three different belt speeds, three varying water heights and a control condition (dry treadmill, all speeds) were evaluated.
  • Data was collected on multiple outcomes including oxygen consumption (V̇O), ventilation, heart rate (HR), and blood lactate levels.
  • Specialized equipment, namely an ergospirometry system, was utilized to measure V̇O and ventilation.
  • Linear mixed effects models were applied to investigate the influence of water presence, water height, and speed on these outcomes.

Results

  • The results revealed that both water height and its interaction with speed significantly impacted V̇O, ventilation, and HR with the most intense workout occurring at the highest water level and speed.
  • In terms of respiratory frequency, it peaked with water at the carpus level when the treadmill speed was 1.39 m/s.
  • Surprisingly, small changes in speed did not significantly affect the measured outcomes at a set water height.
  • It was also noted that post-exercise blood lactate concentration remained unchanged.

Conclusions and Implications

  • The research concluded that changing water height and speed can affect the workload during a WT exercise, but treadmill speed had less of an impact than water height.
  • The conditions tested in this study led to a low-intensity exercise which might be suitable for a specific equine conditioning regimen.

Cite This Article

APA
Greco-Otto P, Bond S, Sides R, Kwong GPS, Bayly W, Léguillette R. (2017). Workload of horses on a water treadmill: effect of speed and water height on oxygen consumption and cardiorespiratory parameters. BMC Vet Res, 13(1), 360. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12917-017-1290-2

Publication

BMC veterinary research
ISSN: 1746-6148
NlmUniqueID: 101249759
Country: England
Language: English
Volume: 13
Issue: 1
Pages: 360

Researcher Affiliations

Greco-Otto, Persephone
  • Department of Veterinary Clinical and Diagnostic Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, T2N 4N1, Canada.
Bond, Stephanie
  • Department of Veterinary Clinical and Diagnostic Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, T2N 4N1, Canada.
Sides, Raymond
  • Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences and College of Veterinary Medicine, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, USA.
Kwong, Grace P S
  • Department of Veterinary Clinical and Diagnostic Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, T2N 4N1, Canada.
Bayly, Warwick
  • Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences and College of Veterinary Medicine, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, USA.
Léguillette, Renaud
  • Department of Veterinary Clinical and Diagnostic Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, T2N 4N1, Canada. rleguill@ucalgary.ca.

MeSH Terms

  • Animals
  • Exercise Test / veterinary
  • Heart / physiology
  • Heart Rate / physiology
  • Horses / physiology
  • Immersion
  • Lactic Acid / blood
  • Oxygen Consumption / physiology
  • Physical Exertion / physiology
  • Respiration
  • Respiratory Physiological Phenomena
  • Tidal Volume / physiology

Conflict of Interest Statement

AUTHORS’ INFORMATION: PGO: Bsc – Doctoral candidate. SB: DVM – Doctoral candidate. RS: AAS in biomedical engineering and technology. GK: PhD in Statistics. WB: BVSc (Hons) MS., PhD, Dipl. ACVIM, Professor WSU. RL: MSc., PhD, DMV, Dipl. ACVIM, Dipl. ACVSMR (Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation) – Associate Professor UCVM. ETHICS APPROVAL AND CONSENT TO PARTICIPATE: This study was approved by the University of Calgary Veterinary Sciences Animal Care Committee (#AC 14–0100). All owners gave written consent prior to participating in the study. CONSENT FOR PUBLICATION: All owners participating in the study gave informed consent for publication. COMPETING INTERESTS: The authors declare that they have no competing interests. PUBLISHER’S NOTE: Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

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