What Is the Best Exercise Speed in Horses Training for Endurance?

The goal of this study was to determine if lactate threshold (LT) and onset of blood lactate accumulation (OBLA) could be obtained in a field test with horses and to find if training over a four-month period caused similar changes in running speed and heart rate as they related to both criteria.

During a digestion trial, four Standardbred horses were subjected to a standardized exercise test on an 800-meter training track. Running speed and heart rate were determined at LT and OBLA (4 mmol/l).

During four months of endurance training, running speed and heart rate corresponding to LT and OBLA were not improved in a similar manner as expected. Therefore, training may have caused different effects on both exercise intensities. Properly designed endurance training should include the continuous monitoring of both parameters (speed and heart rate at LT and OBLA).

The results of this study suggest that it is important to carry out the standardized exercise test to produce an initial HR of no more than 120 b/min. To obtain an adequate lactate curve, at least five or more running speeds are recommended.

This report of KER’s 1993 research was published in Proceedings of the 13th Equine Nutrition and Physiology Society Symposium.