A case control study of racing throughbreds conditioned on a high speed treadmill

Abstract

Summary The racing performance of 107 Thoroughbreds being trained using the treadmill for at least fifty percent of their program for at least 60 days prior to the initiation of racing was evaluated in a case control study. Two control horses were selected from the first race start for each treadmill trained horse. Information obtained included age, placings, earnings during the meet, race type and number of starts. A total point score was calculated for each horse. Statistical analysis was performed using an analysis of covariance. A total of 321 Thoroughbred horses were used in the study. The cases had higher scores than the controls, and 4-year-old stakes and allowance horses trained on the treadmill earned more money than the controls. This retrospective study demonstrated that Thoroughbred horses can be effectively trained for racing using a high-speed treadmill as part of the conditioning program.