Mms. Vanoldruitenborghoosterbaan et A. Barneveld, COMPARISON OF THE WORKLOAD OF DUTCH WARMBLOOD HORSES RIDDEN NORNALLY AND ON A TREADMILL, Veterinary record, 137(6), 1995, pp. 136-139
Six Dutch warmblood horses, ridden by an experienced rider, cantered 3
320 m at a speed adapted to the individual horse's anaerobic threshold
, under four different conditions: 1, on a firm shell track with the s
peed varying from 6.5 to 9.4 m/s; 2, on a horizontal treadmill at the
same speeds and for the same duration as in test 1; 3, on a horizontal
treadmill for the same duration as in tests 1 and 2, but at a 10 per
cent higher speed; and 4, on a treadmill at the same speed and for the
same duration as in test 1, but at an inclination of 1 to 2 per cent
adjusted individually to obtain heart rates similar to those recorded
in test 1, On the basis of the heart rates and plasma lactate concentr
ations, the workload of the horses was significantly greater in the no
rmal exercise test (1) than in the first treadmill test (2), Increasin
g the speed of the test on the horizontal treadmill by 10 per cent (te
st 3) resulted in heart rates and plasma lactate concentrations simila
r to those recorded in test 1. Inclining the treadmill on the basis of
the heart rates achieved in test 1 had a less consistent effect than
increasing the speed, but imitated a normal exercise test better than
the horizontal treadmill test 2.