Oxidative stress and antioxidant status in intensely exercising horses administered nutraceutical extracts.

Reasons For Performing Study: Many nutraceuticals are used as equine supplements without their efficacy having been scientifically tested. Black tea, cranberries, orange peel and ginger are a few of those nutraceuticals that warrant further study.

Objective: To test the effects of single doses of black tea, cranberry, orange peel and ginger extract on markers of oxidative stress and antioxidant status following exercise in horses.

Interval exercise alters feed intake as well as leptin and ghrelin concentrations in standardbred mares.

Reasons For Performing Study: Horses in training tend to become inappetant; however, the mechanism responsible for this training-induced inappetance is not known.

Hypothesis: Training and/or ulcers alter the feed intake (FI) and hormonal and/or biochemical (active ghrelin, leptin, glucose, insulin and cortisol) responses to acute high intensity exercise.

Methods: Eight Standardbred mares underwent 3 interval exercise tests (IET) and 3 parallel control tests (CON) before (IET1) and after 8 weeks of training (IET2) and after treatment for gastric ulcers (IET3).