Intensity and Duration of Exercise During Early-Season Training and Competition in Three-Day Event Horses – Part One: Competition
J.D. Pagan1, K. O’Neill1, N. Ireland1, and M. Davies2
Kentucky Equine Research, Versailles, Kentucky, USA1 and ClockitEQ, Ltd, Perth, Western Australia2
Three-day eventers in the United States typically end their competition season in October or November. At that point most horses are taken out of training and allowed to rest throughout the winter. Many eventers based in the eastern United States migrate to Florida, North Carolina, or South Carolina in January where they resume training for the upcoming season. These horses remain there in training until early to mid-April when most return north to enter competitions throughout the spring and summer. During February, March, and early April, these horses compete in three-day events throughout the Southeast.
Exercise intensity has not been previously quantified during these early-season short format three-day competitions. Therefore, Kentucky Equine Research conducted a study to measure the intensity of exercise in horses competing at several levels in horse trials and three-day events during the early stages of the 2015 eventing season.
Open Publication