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Effects of Pre-Cooling on Thermophysiological Responses in Elite Eventing Horses

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Lisa Klous, Esther Siegers, Jan van den Broek, Mireille Folkerts, Nicola Gerrett , Marianne Sloet van Oldruitenborgh-Oosterbaan, and Carolien Munsters (2020). Animals, 10(9), 1664. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani10091664

Background

The high muscle mass and small surface area for heat dissipation of horses lead to increased risk of overheating in horses. In hot or humid conditions, they struggle to cool down effectively through sweating. To safely perform exercise in challenging environmental conditions, it is beneficial to assist the horse by active cooling. Cooling can also be provided prior to exercise (pre-cooling) to increase the margin for heat storage by decreasing pre-exercise core and skin temperatures. This study aimed to assess the impact of pre-cooling on heart rate, core and skin temperatures, sweat rate, and electrolyte loss in horses during exercise.

Methodology

Ten international Warmblood eventing horses (CCI1*-CCI5* level) in full training underwent a moderate intensity canter training on two separate days (with two days in between) in July 2019 in the Netherlands. They performed the same moderate intensity canter training on two separate days and were pre-cooled during one training and not (control) during the other. Heart rate, body temperature, sweat loss, and sweat composition were measured during the sessions, and blood samples were taken from the jugular vein after the last canter and again after 10 min of recovery.

Horse being cooled with cold water by hosing the whole body on a hot day

Results

Pre-cooling by cold-water rinsing directly after warming-up led to a significant smaller rise in rectal and skin temperatures. This may help to optimize equine welfare during eventing competitions and may potentially be beneficial for performance on the cross-country test, even in moderate environmental conditions. No significant differences in sweat production, or sweat composition were found, however individual responses differed greatly, highlighting individual variability and the need to monitor each individual horse closely.

Understanding the individual responses to pre-cooling is important for optimising welfare, and possibly improving performance during training and competition in challenging environmental conditions.

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