Workload of horses on a water treadmill: effect of speed and water height on oxygen consumption and cardiorespiratory parameters

Persephone Greco-Otto,Raymond Sides,Stephanie Bond,Grace P S Kwong,Warwick Bayly,Renaud Léguillette

doi:10.1186/s12917-017-1290-2

Abstract

BackgroundDespite the use of water treadmills (WT) in conditioning horses, the intensity of WT exercise has not been well documented. The workload on a WT is a function of water height and treadmill speed. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine the effects of these factors on workload during WT exercise.Fifteen client-owned Quarter Horses were used in a randomized, controlled study. Three belt speeds and three water heights (mid cannon, carpus and stifle), along with the control condition (dry treadmill, all three speeds), were tested. Measured outcomes were oxygen consumption (V̇O2), ventilation (respiratory frequency, tidal volume (VT)), heart rate (HR), and blood lactate. An ergospirometry system was used to measure V̇O2 and ventilation. Linear mixed effects models were used to examine the effects of presence or absence of water, water height and speed (as fixed effects) on measured outcomes.ResultsWater height and its interaction with speed had a significant effect on V̇O2, VT and HR, all peaking at the highest water level and speed (stifle at 1.39 m/s, median V̇O2 = 16.70 ml/(kg.min), VT = 6 L, HR = 69 bpm). Respiratory frequency peaked with water at the carpus at 1.39 m/s (median 49 breaths/min). For a given water height, the small increments in speed did not affect the measured outcomes. Post-exercise blood lactate concentration did not change.ConclusionsVarying water height and speed affects the workload associated with WT exercise. The conditions utilized in this study were associated with low intensity exercise. Water height had a greater impact on exercise intensity than speed.

Highlights

Despite the use of water treadmills (WT) in conditioning horses, the intensity of Water treadmills (WTs) exercise has not been well documented
Greco-Otto et al BMC Veterinary Research (2017) 13:360 research on horses has attempted to describe the intensity of the exercise imposed by the WT by measuring heart rate (HR) [3,4,5,6] and/or whole blood lactate concentrations [6, 7], or with muscle biopsies [8, 9] and muscle activation via thermography [10]
Two studies from one research group have attempted evaluate the effects of WT conditioning on horses’ HR responses to a specific high-speed treadmill exercise test. They evaluated the effects of conditioning on the oxidative and glycolytic capacities of the superficial digital flexor and gluteal muscles

Summary

Introduction

Despite the use of water treadmills (WT) in conditioning horses, the intensity of WT exercise has not been well documented. Greco-Otto et al BMC Veterinary Research (2017) 13:360 research on horses has attempted to describe the intensity of the exercise imposed by the WT by measuring heart rate (HR) [3,4,5,6] and/or whole blood lactate concentrations [6, 7], or with muscle biopsies [8, 9] and muscle activation via thermography [10]. Two studies from one research group have attempted evaluate the effects of WT conditioning on horses’ HR responses to a specific high-speed treadmill exercise test. They evaluated the effects of conditioning on the oxidative and glycolytic capacities of the superficial digital flexor and gluteal muscles. Heart rate and muscle metabolic responses to high-speed treadmill tests did not change [9]

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