Effects of altered body weight and body fat content on performance, recovery response and locomotion asymmetry in the Icelandic horse
The objective of this thesis was to investigate the effects of altered body weight and body condition score on physiological response to exercise in terms of performance, recovery and locomotion asymmetry in Icelandic horses. Obesity is a commonly rising problem in modern horse management. Related h...
| Autor principal: | |
|---|---|
| Formato: | H2 |
| Lenguaje: | Inglés islandés |
| Publicado: |
SLU/Dept. of Anatomy, Physiology and Biochemistry (until 231231)
2018
|
| Materias: |
| _version_ | 1855572225797652480 |
|---|---|
| author | Ásgeirsson, Einar |
| author_browse | Ásgeirsson, Einar |
| author_facet | Ásgeirsson, Einar |
| author_sort | Ásgeirsson, Einar |
| collection | Epsilon Archive for Student Projects |
| description | The objective of this thesis was to investigate the effects of altered body weight and body condition score on physiological response to exercise in terms of performance, recovery and locomotion asymmetry in Icelandic horses. Obesity is a commonly rising problem in modern horse management. Related health disorders include laminitis and even impaired locomotion. The Icelandic horse is considered an easy keeper, with low energy requirements. It is therefore prone to obesity.
The study was in a change-over arrangement, where nine horses were submitted to two different forage-only feeding strategies, a high energy allowance (HA, 64 MJ ME/day) and a restricted energy allowance (RA, 32 MJ ME/day), for a 28-day adaptation period followed by a week of data collection. The horses were trained five times a week. For data collection, the horses performed a standardized exercise test (SET) and a simulated breed evaluation field test (BEFT) together with locomotion asymmetry analysis. Blood samples were collected together with measurements of rectal temperature, respiratory rate and heart rate.
The main results were that horses adapted to the high energy allowance had significantly higher body weight, body condition score and fat percentage. Altered body weight and body condition score affected the physiological response to exercise. Horses adapted to HA had lower judges´ scores in a BEFT for total score, gallop and for form under rider. Horses adapted to RA had higher plasma lactate. The RA horses moreover had higher mean speed and maximum speed during a BEFT, thus able to perform under higher exercise intensity. In the SET and BEFT, RA horses had higher haematocrit.
In both exercise test, the recovery pattern of respiratory rate and rectal temperature was altered, indicating a decreased capacity to cope with exercise for the HA horses. The horses adapted to HA had higher front limb asymmetry compared to RA horses. With all the results combined, it is concluded that horses with higher body weight and body condition score have a decreased performance capacity at high exercise intensities. |
| format | H2 |
| id | RepoSLU13324 |
| institution | Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences |
| language | Inglés ice |
| publishDate | 2018 |
| publishDateSort | 2018 |
| publisher | SLU/Dept. of Anatomy, Physiology and Biochemistry (until 231231) |
| publisherStr | SLU/Dept. of Anatomy, Physiology and Biochemistry (until 231231) |
| record_format | eprints |
| spelling | RepoSLU133242021-05-15T23:15:04Z Effects of altered body weight and body fat content on performance, recovery response and locomotion asymmetry in the Icelandic horse Ásgeirsson, Einar body weight body condition score breed evaluation field test Icelandic horse performance recovery locomotion asymmetry The objective of this thesis was to investigate the effects of altered body weight and body condition score on physiological response to exercise in terms of performance, recovery and locomotion asymmetry in Icelandic horses. Obesity is a commonly rising problem in modern horse management. Related health disorders include laminitis and even impaired locomotion. The Icelandic horse is considered an easy keeper, with low energy requirements. It is therefore prone to obesity. The study was in a change-over arrangement, where nine horses were submitted to two different forage-only feeding strategies, a high energy allowance (HA, 64 MJ ME/day) and a restricted energy allowance (RA, 32 MJ ME/day), for a 28-day adaptation period followed by a week of data collection. The horses were trained five times a week. For data collection, the horses performed a standardized exercise test (SET) and a simulated breed evaluation field test (BEFT) together with locomotion asymmetry analysis. Blood samples were collected together with measurements of rectal temperature, respiratory rate and heart rate. The main results were that horses adapted to the high energy allowance had significantly higher body weight, body condition score and fat percentage. Altered body weight and body condition score affected the physiological response to exercise. Horses adapted to HA had lower judges´ scores in a BEFT for total score, gallop and for form under rider. Horses adapted to RA had higher plasma lactate. The RA horses moreover had higher mean speed and maximum speed during a BEFT, thus able to perform under higher exercise intensity. In the SET and BEFT, RA horses had higher haematocrit. In both exercise test, the recovery pattern of respiratory rate and rectal temperature was altered, indicating a decreased capacity to cope with exercise for the HA horses. The horses adapted to HA had higher front limb asymmetry compared to RA horses. With all the results combined, it is concluded that horses with higher body weight and body condition score have a decreased performance capacity at high exercise intensities. Markmið þessa verkefnis var að rannsaka áhrif mismunandi holdastigs á frammistöðu, endurheimt og hreyfifræðilegt jafnvægi í íslenskum hestum. Offita hrossa er stórt vandamál og er tengd háu holdastigi og hefur í för með sér heilsufarsvandamál, svo sem efnaskiptavandamál, hófsperru og jafnvel hamlaða hreyfigetu. Íslenski hesturinn er talinn vera “easy keeper”, með lágar orkuþarfir til viðhalds og hefur því tilhneigingu til offituvandamála. Tilraun var framkvæmd á skipti formi, þar sem níu í tveimur hópum voru fóðruð á tvo mismuandi vegu, há-orku fóðrun (64 MJ ME/dag) og lág-orku fóðrun (32 MJ ME/dag), til að ná fram breytileika í holdastigi hópanna. Hrossin voru fóðruð í 28 dag í senn samhliða einni viku af gagnasöfnun. Hrossin voru þjálfuð fimm sinnum í viku. Fyrir söfnun gagna voru hrossin sett í tvenns konar frammistöðupróf, á hlaupabretti annars vegar og í eftirlíktri kynbótasýningu hins vegar. Einnig var hreyfifræðilegt jafnvægi mælt. Blóðsýni voru tekin, en einnig voru öndunartíðni og líkamshiti í endaþarmi mæld. Hross á há-orku fóðrun voru þyngri og í hærra holdastigi samanborið við hross á lág-orku fóðrun. Hross í hærra holdastigi hlutu marktækt lægri einkunnir fyrir stökk, fegurð í reið og í aðaleinkunn hæfileika í kynbótadómi samanborið við hross í lægra holdastigi. Hrossin í lægri holdastigi höfðu hærri mjólkursýru í blóðui eftir kynbótasýningu, en höfðu hærri meðalhraða og hámarkshraða í sýningunni. Þau gátu því unnið undir meira álagi en hross í hærra holdastigi. Ennfremur höfðu hross á lág-orku fóðrun hærra hlutfall rauðra blóðkorna í blóði. Í báðum hlaupaprófum var mynstur endurheimtar breytt milli mismunandi meðferða. Hestar í hærra holdastigi höfðu hærri öndunartíðni, en hærri líkamshita í kynbótasýningu, vegna aukins álags. Þetta bendir til þess að hross í hærra holdastigi gætu verið lengur að ná fullri endurheimt eftir þjálfun. Jafnframt höfðu hross í hærra holdastigi minna jafnvægi í hreyfingu, mælda í framfótum. Þegar niðurstöður eru dregnar saman er það ályktað að umfram líkamsþyngd og holdastig skerðir frammistöðu, breytir endurheimtarmynstri og minnkar jafnvægi í hreyfingum og þar sem getu til að framvæma vinnu undir hærra álagi, þ.e. skerðir möguleika hestsins að sýna sanna reiðhestshæfileika sína. SLU/Dept. of Anatomy, Physiology and Biochemistry (until 231231) 2018 H2 eng ice https://stud.epsilon.slu.se/13324/ |
| spellingShingle | body weight body condition score breed evaluation field test Icelandic horse performance recovery locomotion asymmetry Ásgeirsson, Einar Effects of altered body weight and body fat content on performance, recovery response and locomotion asymmetry in the Icelandic horse |
| title | Effects of altered body weight and body fat content on performance, recovery response and locomotion asymmetry in the Icelandic horse |
| title_full | Effects of altered body weight and body fat content on performance, recovery response and locomotion asymmetry in the Icelandic horse |
| title_fullStr | Effects of altered body weight and body fat content on performance, recovery response and locomotion asymmetry in the Icelandic horse |
| title_full_unstemmed | Effects of altered body weight and body fat content on performance, recovery response and locomotion asymmetry in the Icelandic horse |
| title_short | Effects of altered body weight and body fat content on performance, recovery response and locomotion asymmetry in the Icelandic horse |
| title_sort | effects of altered body weight and body fat content on performance, recovery response and locomotion asymmetry in the icelandic horse |
| topic | body weight body condition score breed evaluation field test Icelandic horse performance recovery locomotion asymmetry |