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Athletes commonly perform some sort of warm-up prior to strenuous exercise. Warm-up periods may provide several benefits including enhanced blood flow to working muscles, which could increase oxygen and substrate availability during the subsequent exercise. Little research has been conducted in the area of equine warm-up protocols, particularly in regard to identification of ideal warm-up procedures for various activities. Therefore, researchers conducted two studies to evaluate the effects of two warm-up intensities on response to shorter, more intense exercise tests.

University of Kentucky researchers investigated the issue with five Thoroughbred geldings. They conducted all exercise tests in the morning, after a fast of 12 to16 hours. In each experiment, the effects of two warm-up procedures were compared. The low-intensity warm-up consisted of 15 minutes of walking and the high-intensity warm-up consisted of a sequence of walk, trot, gallop, and walk, but also lasted 15 minutes. They assigned treatments to horses using a two-period cross-over design in both experiments, so that all horses completed both warm-up treatments.

In experiment A, horses performed a 70-second exercise test following the warm-up period. The speed of the treadmill was increased during the last 30 seconds of the warm-up. The 70-second test consisted of 50 seconds of gallop at 8 meters per second on a 10% grade, followed by 20 seconds at 8.5 meters per second on a 10% grade. Heart rate and hematocrit were higher during warm-up when horses completed the high-intensity warm-up, but there were no treatment differences for these variables during the exercise test. Heart rate at the end of the exercise test averaged 196.8 beats per minute when horses completed the low-intensity warm-up and 196.6 beats per minute when they completed the high-intensity warm-up prior to the exercise test. Warm-up intensity affected plasma glucose and free fatty acid responses during the warm-up period, and glucose concentrations were higher during the exercise test when horses performed the high-intensity warm-up, suggesting that more glucose is available in response to this regimen. Plasma lactate concentration, a measure of muscle fatigue, was lower when horses performed the high-intensity warm-up. This suggests that a high-intensity warm-up promoted oxygen availability or aerobic energy production during short-term high-intensity exercise.

In experiment B, horses performed a 3.5-minute exercise test consisting of 30 seconds at 6.5 meters per second, 60 seconds at 7.0 meters per second, 90 seconds at 7.5 meters per second, and 30 seconds at 8.0 meters per second, all on a 10% grade. Warm-up effects were similar to experiment A except that plasma lactate responses were not significantly different. In addition, rectal temperature at the end of a 5-minute recovery period was higher when horses completed the high-intensity warm-up before the exercise test than when they completed the low-intensity exercise test.

Because exercise response differs by breed, age, fitness, and the metabolic characteristics of individual horses, no single type of warm-up is perfect for all horses. However, results of these studies indicate that warm-up periods may support oxygen and glucose availability for more intense exercise. Warm-up exercises should start with easy exercise and proceed to somewhat more strenuous exertion, keeping in mind that the goal is to get the horse ready for harder exercise while minimizing the chance of injury.

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