Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-ndw9j Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-13T04:06:38.372Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Evaluation of oxygen consumption during field exercise tests in Standardbred trotters

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 February 2007

Emmanuelle van Erck ,
Dominique-Marie Votion ,
Didier Serteyn  and
Tatiana Art
Emmanuelle van Erck*
Affiliation:
Equine Sports Medicine Centre, Equine Pole, Bat. B41, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Liège, Sart Tilman, B-4000, Liège, Belgium
Dominique-Marie Votion
Affiliation:
Equine Sports Medicine Centre, Equine Pole, Bat. B41, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Liège, Sart Tilman, B-4000, Liège, Belgium Equine European Centre of Mont-le-Soie, Mont-le-Soie, Vielsalm, Belgium
Didier Serteyn
Affiliation:
Equine Sports Medicine Centre, Equine Pole, Bat. B41, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Liège, Sart Tilman, B-4000, Liège, Belgium
Tatiana Art
Affiliation:
Equine Sports Medicine Centre, Equine Pole, Bat. B41, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Liège, Sart Tilman, B-4000, Liège, Belgium
*
*Corresponding author: emmanuelle.vanerck@skynet.be
Get access

Abstract

Reasons for performing the study: In human exercise physiology, the current gold standard for evaluating aerobic capacity is the measurement of oxygen consumption (VO2) and maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max). The evaluation of VO2 in horses is performed in some laboratories equipped with a treadmill but has only been exceptionally reported in field conditions because of the lack of adapted equipment. Objectives: The aim of this study was (1) to assess the feasibility of VO2 measurement on the track using a recently validated portable breath-by-breath gas analyser system adapted to horses (Cosmed K4b2® and Equimask®), (2) to compare these results with those obtained during a treadmill exercise test and (3) to study correlations between VO2 and physiological parameters usually measured in field condition such as heart rate (HR), lactataemia (LA) and the speed at which HR equals 200 beats per minute (bpm) (V200) or LA 4 mmol l− 1 (VLA4). Methods: Five healthy Standardbred trotters in training were submitted to two stepwise incremental exercise tests, one driven on the racetrack and the other on a high-speed treadmill with a 4% incline. Speed (v), HR, ventilatory parameters and VO2 were continuously recorded throughout the duration of the tests and LA was evaluated after each step. Results: All horses completed the test satisfactorily after an initial acclimatization to the mask. There were marked individual differences in ventilatory strategy, and breathing frequency (Rf) at the higher levels of exercise was noticeably low. The VCO2 measurements were incoherent. There were no significant differences between track and treadmill maximal data obtained during the last step [VO2peak (track: 139.9 ± 8.9 ml kg− 1 min− 1; treadmill: 139.9 ± 13.4 ml kg− 1 min− 1), LAmax (track: 6.5 ± 1.6 mmol l− 1; treadmill: 7.3 ± 3.0 mmol l− 1), HRmax (track: 229 ± 6.2 bpm; treadmill: 222 ± 13 bpm)], although the maximal speed required to reach similar workloads was significantly higher on the track (11.9 ± 0.6 m s− 1vs. 9.7 ± 0.4 m s− 1). The correlation between VO2 and HR (r = 0.87; P < 0.001) and VO2 and LA (r = 0.75; P < 0.0001) during both tests was good but no correlation was found between VO2peak and HRmax, LAmax, V200 or VLA4. Conclusions: This is the first report of a practical portable system to measure VO2 and ventilation continuously during high-speed field exercise tests. However, current mask design markedly influences ventilation and could have prohibited the attainment of VO2max. Furthermore, consistent VCO2 measurements should be implemented by the manufacturers. Potential relevance: Continuous breath-by-breath ventilation and VO2 measurements can be recorded in horses in the field at submaximal levels. With necessary adaptations to the system entailed, this study opens new perspectives in the analysis of physiological and metabolic mechanisms of exercise in the equine species in genuine track conditions.

Keywords

horseexerciseoxygen uptakefieldtreadmill
Type
Research Paper
Information
Equine and Comparative Exercise Physiology , Volume 4 , Issue 1 , February 2007 , pp. 43 - 49
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2007

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

1Jones, JH, Longworth, KE, Lindholm, A, Conley, KE, Karas, RH, Kayar, SR and Taylor, CR (1989). Oxygen transport during exercise in large mammals. I. Adaptive variation in oxygen demand. Journal of Applied Physiology 67: 862–870.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
2Poole, DC (2004). Current concepts of oxygen transport during exercise. Equine and Comparative Exercise Physiology 1: 5–22.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
3Persson, SGB (1983). Analysis of fitness and state of training. In: Snow, DH, Persson, SGB and Rose, RJ (eds) Equine Exercise Physiology. Cambridge: Granta Editions, pp. 441–457.Google Scholar
4Rose, RJ, Hendrickson, DK and Knight, PK (1990). Clinical exercise testing in the normal Thoroughbred racehorse. Australian Veterinary Journal 67: 345–348.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
5King, CM, Evans, DL and Rose, Rj (1994). Cardiorespiratory and metabolic responses to exercise in horses with various abnormalities of the upper respiratory tract. Equine Veterinary Journal 26: 220–225.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
6Persson, SGB and Ullberg, L-E (1974). Blood volume in relation to exercise tolerance in trotters. Journal of the South African Veterinary Association 45: 293–299.Google Scholar
7Evans, DL, Harris, RC and Snow, DH (1993). Correlation of racing performance with blood lactate and heart rate after exercise in Thoroughbred horses. Equine Veterinary Journal 25: 441–445.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
8Harkins, JD, Beadle, RE and Kamerling, SG (1993). The correlation of running ability and physiological variables in Thoroughbred racehorses. Equine Veterinary Journal 25: 53–60.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
9Rose, RJ, King, CM, Evans, DL, Tyler, CM and Rose, RJ (1995). Indices of exercise capacity in horses presented for poor racing performance. Equine Veterinary Journal Supplement 18: 418–421.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
10Couroucé, A, Geffroy, O, Barrey, E, Auvinet, B and Rose, RJ (1999). Comparison of exercise tests in French trotters under training track, racetrack and treadmill conditions. Equine Veterinary Journal Supplement 30: 528–532.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
11Mitchell, JH, Sproule, BJ and Chapman, CB (1958). The physiological meaning of the maximal oxygen intake test. Journal of Clinical Investigation 37: 538–547.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
12Karlsen, GG and Nadaljak, EA (1964). Gas-Energie-Umsatz und Atmung bei Trabern während der Arbeit. Konevodstvo 11: 27–31.Google Scholar
13Hörnicke, H, Meixner, R and Pollmann, U (1983). Respiration in exercising horses. In: Snow, DH, Persson, SGB and Rose, RJ (eds) Equine Exercise Physiology. Cambridge: Granta Editions, pp. 7–16.Google Scholar
14Pagan, JD and Hintz, HF (1985). Energy expenditure in horses during submaximal exercise. Proceedings: 9th Equine Nutrition and Physiology Symposium, p. 182.Google Scholar
15Hanak, J, Jahn, P, Kabes, R, Sedlinska, M, Zert, Z, Mezerova, J and Chvatal, O (2001). A field study of oxygen consumption and estimated energy expenditure in the exercising horse. Acta Veterinaria Brno 70: 133–139.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
16Art, T, Duvivier, DH, van Erck, E, de Moffarts, B, Votion, D, Bedoret, D, Lejeune, JP, Lekeux, P and Serteyn, D (2006). Validation of a portable equine metabolic measuring system. Equine Veterinary Journal Supplement 36: 557–561.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
17Votion, DM, Caudron, I, Lejeune, J-P, Van der Heyden, L, Art, T, van Erck, E and Serteyn, D (2006). New perspective for field measurement of cardiorespiratory parameters in exercising horses. Pferdeheilkunde 5: 619–624.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
18Sloet van Oldruitenborgh-Oosterbaan, MM and Barneveld, A (1995). Comparison of the workload of Dutch warmblood horses ridden normally and on a treadmill. The Veterinary Record 137: 136–139.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
19Gottlieb-Vedi, M and Lindholm, A (1997). Comparison of Standardbred trotters exercising on a treadmill and a race track with identical draught resistances. The Veterinary Record 140: 525–528.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
20Art, T and Lekeux, P (1995). Ventilatory and arterial blood gas tension adjustments to strenuous exercise in Standardbreds. American Journal of Veterinary Research 56: 1332–1337.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
21Bayly, WM, Schultz, DA, Hodgson, DR and Gollnick, PD (1987). Ventilatory responses of the horse to exercise: effect of gas collection systems. Journal of Applied Physiology 63: 1210–1217.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
22Dubreucq, C, Chatard, JC, Couroucé, A and Auvinet, B (1995). Reproducibility of a standardised exercise test for Standardbred trotters under field conditions. Equine Veterinary Journal Supplement 18: 108–112.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
23McDonough, P, Kindig, CA, Ramsel, C, Poole, DC and Erickson, HH (2002). The effect of treadmill incline on maximal oxygen uptake, gas exchange and the metabolic response to exercise in the horse. Experimental Physiology 87: 499–506.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
24Birks, EK, Jones, JH, Vandervort, LJ, Priest, AK and Berry, JD (1991). Plasma lactate kinetics during exercise. In: Snow, DH, Persson, SGB and Rose, RJ (eds) Equine Exercise Physiology 3. Cambridge: Granta Editions, pp. 179–187.Google Scholar
25Rose, RJ, Hodgson, DR, Bayly, WM and Gollnick, PD (1990). Kinetics of VO2 and VCO2 in the horse and comparison of five methods for determination of maximum oxygen uptake. Equine Veterinary Journal Supplement 9: 39–42.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Supplementary material: PDF

van Erck figure 2

van Erck figure 2

Download van Erck figure 2(PDF)
PDF 31.7 KB