Effect of exercise on a treadmill submerged in water on biochemical and physiological variables of horses

Effekt der Beanspruchung auf dem Laufband im Wasser auf biochemische und physiologische Variablen von Pferden

Lindner A, Wäschle S, Sasse H H L

DOI: 10.21836/PEM20100603
Year: 2010
Volume: 26
Issue: 6
Pages: 781-788

89 horses were submitted to exercise on a treadmill submerged in water (watertread). 78 of the horses were brought for rehabilitation measures with the watertread, 11 participated for conditioning purposes. The exercise varied in duration (10, 20 or 30 minutes), speed of the treadmill (3.6, 4.6 or 5.6 km/h) and in the water level (50% or 80% of the withers height or at the point of the shoulder, approximately 65% of the withers height). Each of the combinations of the exercise parameters had to be absolved by 10 horses. The effect of the combination of the exercise parameters was examined measuring blood lactate (LA) concentration, plasma creatine phosphokinase (CK) activity and rectal temperature (RT) before and immediately after exercise, and heart rate (HR) before and during exercise. All variables had higher values after exercise than before (p<0.05). However, the mean increases were moderate: Blood LA from 1.23 to 1.4 mmol/l, HR from 43 to 69 beats/minute, RT from 37.2 to 37.4°C and plasma CK (median) from 34.1 to 42.3 U/l. The small changes are likely to be the result of the workload by the exercises applied. However, the hydrostatic pressure and temperature of the water (20°C) could have played a role in reducing the increase of the variables measured and needs further studies. Overall, the horses adapted fast to exercising on the watertread, there were no lesions related with this work and horses with many different, mainly orthopedic, ailments could be worked safely in a controlled manner on it. None of the exercise combinations used did induce muscular problems like rhabdomyolysis or tying up.