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Evaluation of a Portable System Designed to Measure Ventilatory Parameters and Oxygen Consumption in Unridden Horses
Author(s) -
Katz L,
Gough K,
Herdan C,
McGivney B,
Bayly W,
Sides R,
Hill E
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
equine veterinary journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.82
H-Index - 87
eISSN - 2042-3306
pISSN - 0425-1644
DOI - 10.1111/evj.12267_68
Subject(s) - treadmill , medicine , ventilation (architecture) , horse , respiratory minute volume , tidal volume , vo2 max , zoology , anesthesia , cardiology , heart rate , respiratory system , physics , biology , blood pressure , thermodynamics , paleontology
Measurement of maximal oxygen consumption ( VO 2max ) is the gold standard for assessing aerobic capacity, but in horses requires use of stationary equipment and a high‐speed treadmill. Study objectives were to evaluate a portable system designed to measure VO 2 in a field setting and to describe these measurements in a cohort of untrained Thoroughbreds. Methods Ventilatory parameters and VO 2 were measured in 41 untrained Thoroughbreds (16 colts, 25 fillies, 19.8 ± 1.4 months) using an ergospirometry and oximetry mask with customized software validated for horses galloping on a treadmill with an open‐circuit flow‐through gas collection system. Horses were instrumented with a GPS ‐ HR monitor, light‐weight mask and data‐capture equipment. Data was collected as horses travelled riderless up a 2% inclined woodchip track. Pre‐ and 5 minute post‐exercise plasma lactate ([La5]), HRpeak, maximal velocity (Vmax) and exercise distance were recorded and analysed by unpaired t‐test and Pearson's correlation (P ≤ 0.05). Results All horses tolerated the mask and saddle pad. Exercise distance was 1700.5 ± 33.4 m, Vmax 15.0 ± 1.4 m/s, HRpeak 221.2 ± 9.6 bpm and [La5] 22.7 ± 5.5 mmol/l. Average VO 2 peak, based on 6 breaths, was 117.7 ± 24.1 ml/kg/min, breathing frequency 125.8 ± 7.1 bpm, inspiratory volume 13.2 ± 1.7 L , expiratory volume 13.4 ± 1.9 L and minute ventilation 1669.3 ± 193.3 L /min. VO 2 peak was not significantly different between colts (112.2 ± 27.7 ml/kg/min) and fillies (121.4 ± 21.3 ml/kg/min). There were no correlations between VO 2 peak and other measured parameters. There was a positive linear correlation between VO 2 peak and HRpeak (P = 0.046, R2 = 0.16). Conclusions VO 2 peak values were similar to published reports for yearling Thoroughbreds. The high exercise intensity and linear relationship between VO 2 peak and HRpeak provides confidence in the system for field studies of aerobic capacity in untrained, unridden horses. Ethical Animal Research Institutional Animal Research Ethics Committee approval was obtained. Sources of funding: Science Foundation I reland (11‐ P 1‐ 1166). Competing interests: None.