In recent years, exercise on a water treadmill has come to have great relevance in rehabilitation and training centres for sport horses. Its use exploits certain physical properties of water, related to the fundamental principles of hydrodynamics, such as buoyancy, viscosity, hydrostatic pressure, and water temperature. These properties together with deliberate specification of the depth of the water and the velocity of the treadmill provide a combination of parameters that can be varied according to the purpose of the rehabilitation or training programme, the disease to rehabilitate, or the healing phase. In the current article, kinematic adaptations to exercise on a water treadmill and the direct application of such exercise to the rehabilitation of superficial and deep digital flexor tendon and accessory ligament injuries and back and joint diseases are described.

In recent years, exercise on a water treadmill has come to have great relevance in rehabilitation and training centres for sport horses. Its use exploits certain physical properties of water, related to the fundamental principles of hydrodynamics, such as buoyancy, viscosity, hydrostatic pressure, and water temperature. These properties together with deliberate specification of the depth of the water and the velocity of the treadmill provide a combination of parameters that can be varied according to the purpose of the rehabilitation or training programme, the disease to rehabilitate, or the healing phase. In the current article, kinematic adaptations to exercise on a water treadmill and the direct application of such exercise to the rehabilitation of superficial and deep digital flexor tendon and accessory ligament injuries and back and joint diseases are described.

High-speed cinematography was used to record the movements of 12 cutting horses performing a standard test with a mechanical flag. Based on their previous competitive performances, horses were classified into 2 groups: group 1, composed of 5 moderately successful or average performers that had won less than $35,000 in purse money; and group 2, composed of 7 highly successful or elite performers that had amassed greater than $35,000 in competition earnings. Analysis of the results indicated that, compared with horses of the average group, the elite horses had faster reaction times in response to the start and cessation of flag movement (P less than 0.01), and were positioned closer to the flag during all stages of the trial (P less than 0.05). Discriminant analysis was used to construct a mathematical formula that could be used to classify an individual horse into 1 of the 2 alternative groups, based on the set of measurements. Two predictor variables were selected that described the maximal distance between the horse and the flag during the run and the part of the body that was moved first in response to the initial flag movement. The accuracy of the predicted group membership, compared with the actual group membership, was 100%.

Objective: This study aims to appraise the ranking of endurance horses in training based on some selected biochemical and physical parameters. The increase in skill and gusto in equine endurance sport demands an upsurge in standardized exercise tests and competition to be enforced on endurance sport horses. Materials and methods: Nine seemingly fit Arabians endurance horses between the ages of 5 and 17 years and with a body weight of 350 and 450 kg were included in the research in Malaysia. We designed a point scale in training based on biochemical and physical parameters of endurance horses for lactate, plasma protein, creatine kinase, heart rate, and rectal temperature. Results: The results indicated an accumulated lower point of 1 for the biochemical and physical parameters for an individual horse to have an excellent ranking in training and placing in endurance race contrasted with horses that had higher points of 4 to 6. The lower the points, the lower will be the values of the parameters and the higher the points the higher will be the values of the parameters. It is observed that placing in race tally with the ranking in training. Conclusion: In conclusion, it is observed that placing in race tally with the ranking in training. Therefore, it is suggested that the current ranking system in training could be valid to be used to predict endurance horses performance in an actual race. [J Adv Vet Anim Res 2018; 5(3.000): 299-306]

National audience

National audience