The Oxygen Cost Of Weight Loading And Inclined Treadmill Exercise In The Horse

Thornton, J., J.D. Pagan and S. Persson, 1986. The oxygen cost of weight loading and inclined treadmill exercise in the horse. In: Gillespie, J.R. and Robinson, N.G. (Ed.) Equine Exercise Physiology 2. pp. 206-215. ICEEP Publications, Davis, CA.

This study was carried out to determine the metabolic response to load carrying and inclined trotting during treadmill exercise in the horse. Five standardbred trotters, trained for treadmill exercise, were subjected to an exercise test with and without 10% of their body weight in the position of a rider and saddle. We concluded that oxygen uptake during load carrying increases proportionally to the load during horizontal and inclined exercise. Inclined exercise requires a greater increase in VO2 than does the addition of a load during either horizontal or inclined exercise.