This is an archived Horseadvice.com Discussion. The parent article and menus are available on the navigation menu below:
HorseAdvice.com » Training, Behavior, & Conditioning Horses » Musculoskeletal Conditioning » What is Endurance Riding »
  Discussion on Lab test for endurance fitness
Author Message

Posted on Wednesday, Jul 18, 2001 - 2:39 pm:

Hi all
I think I'm still on topic here.
Would there be any value in running a chemistry panel occasionally on horses that are in heavy training?
For an example, say the horse is being worked in an endurance type sport. Say the horse seems generally OK, ie not lame etc. but maybe She is not quite right, seems to need all her days off to recover fully from her days "on". Would it be appropriate to check muscle enzyme levels following periods of training, as a indicator of fitness to continue?

D.

Posted on Tuesday, Jul 24, 2001 - 6:56 am:

Running a panel on a horse that is not acting right makes sense to me. As to evaluating fitness by running muscle enzymes strikes me as very iffy: what would you consider ok? Muscle enzyme physiology is a complicated subject with doaaens of factors other than fitness affecting levels.

Actual research into this question with short distance and endurance activities so far has not found a relationship between levels of muscle enzymes and fitness (pg 209 Equine Sports Medicine by Jones).
DrO

Posted on Tuesday, Jul 24, 2001 - 2:39 pm:

Hi DrO
Thanks for your reply.
I see in preparation for the Atlanta Olympics they spent a fair bit of time looking at electrolyte levels in endurance horses, so I wondered if anyone had looked at enzyme levels as well.
Would checking electrolyte levels post exercise be of any value, or is that something that would be only useful in a research setting?
Obviously it would be a tad ridiculous to suck blood out every time she gets a bit of exercise.
I'm only thinking of this as an option when all else has been considered and your still unsure.

Now the obvious answer is when in doubt don't train so hard, but my example horse does not belong to me. On the surface she looks fit, all lean and muscular (she is part of a musical ride team). But, at times they bring her home all tucked up (like a greyhound) and she'll be depressed for a couple days. They think she looks fit, I think she just looks dehydrated. I guess what I'm looking for is a way to convince them to take it a little easier. Any suggestions would be much appreciated.

D.

Posted on Wednesday, Jul 25, 2001 - 7:28 am:

There may be some validity thinking levels of the electrolytes, particularly sodium and chloride (potassium and calcium to a lesser extent), post exercise might be one indicator of how well you did during the event at replacing these salts lost from sweating. The closer these levels are to normal following a race the better off your horse is. But there is a caveat, remember you are measuring the percentage in the fluid of the body and following a race there will be a degree of dehydration, perhaps a remarkable one. The electroylytes could appear normal and the horse still be experiencing severe dehydration. The results must be interpreted with the total picture in mind. Simply throwing large amounts of oral electrolytes at a horse, based on blood work, that is severly dehydrated may cause more serious problems.
DrO

Posted on Wednesday, Jul 25, 2001 - 5:18 pm:

That is something that concerns me when people start talking about feeding electrolytes. If the horse is already dehydrated and we put a pile of salt in the gut doesn't this pull fluid from the tissues, worsening the dehydration? How do ya tell when it's safe to feed electrolytes?

If the horse has sweated heavily looks gaunt (belly tucked up and so on) and still will not drink well, is it reasonable to assume her electrolyte levels are probably low along with dehydration?

Thanks again
D

Posted on Thursday, Jul 26, 2001 - 7:22 am:

I find most horses willing or even preferentially drink water with appx an isotonic level of electrolytes (see article about riding in the heat for recipe) this would always be good. For a discussion of the ying and yang of electrolyte supplementation and some specific recommendations during endurance riding see Care for Horses: Nutrition: Water, Electrolytes, and Riding in the Heat.
DrP
Home Page | Top of Page | Join Us!
Horseadvice.com is a BBB Accredited Business. Click for the BBB Business Review of this Horse Training in Stokesdale NC