A consort-guided randomized, blinded, controlled clinical trial on the effects of 6 weeks training on heart rate variability in thoroughbred horses.

Background: Fitness assessment of horses remains challenging. Heart rate variability (HRV) can be used to monitor human athlete's training, but its value is unknown in horses.

Hypothesis: The linear domain HRV variables are affected by fitness.

Effects of hyperthermia and acidosis on mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation.

The intracellular environment of skeletal muscle can develop pronounced hyperthermia and acidosis during strenuous exercise, and these alterations in the typical intracellular conditions have been shown to alter mitochondrial respiration. However, the impact of these conditions on ATP synthesis is poorly understood. We used Thoroughbred racehorses to test the hypothesis that both hyperthermia and acidosis decrease the rate of ATP synthesis, but that athletic conditioning mitigates this loss of phosphorylation capacity.

Oxygen consumption, locomotory-respiratory coupling and exercise-induced pulmonary hemorrhage in horses during the Paso Fino gait.

Background: Workload associated with the high frequency Colombian Paso Fino gait has not been evaluated.

Objectives: To determine the oxygen consumption (V̇O), heart rate (HR), stride frequency: breathing ratio, and hematology associated with the Paso Fino gait, including whether exercise-induced pulmonary hemorrhage (EIPH) occurs.

Animals: Eleven Paso Fino horses.

Workload and spirometry associated with untethered swimming in horses.

Background: Swimming has been used empirically for rehabilitation and conditioning of horses. However, due to challenges imposed by recording physiological parameters in water, the intensity of free swimming effort is unknown.

Objectives: Measure the physiological workload associated with untethered swimming in horses.