Young Friesian horses show familial aggregation in fitness response to a 7-week performance test
Carolien C.B.M. Munsters, Jan van den Broek, René van Weeren, Marianne M. Sloet van Oldruitenborgh-Oosterbaan (2013). The Veterinary Journal, 198(1), pp. 193-199. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tvjl.2013.07.023
Background
The Friesian horse, originally a draft breed from the Netherlands, but is now mainly used for sports and recreation. In humans, differences in training response are well-studied and partly linked to genetics. This study aims to assess the fitness of young Friesians through standardized exercise tests and to evaluate different training responses and performance.
Methodology
The study involved 66 young Friesian horses, aged 3-4 years that underwent a 7-week performance test from the Studbook where they received standardized training by experienced riders. Two standardized exercise tests (SETs) were conducted, one at the beginning of the training programme and one at the end. During the SETs, heart rate and plasma lactate levels were measured.
Results
Young Friesian horses showed moderate fitness improvements, evidenced by decreased heart rates during the same workload, with some horses being high responders and others non- or low responders to training. This study is the first to show in horses that heart rate response to training was related to the father animal, suggesting a genetic influence on fitness. In addition, horses that reached the anaerobic threshold in SET-II got lower performance scores from judges at the end of the performance test. Routine monitoring of heart rate and lactate is recommended to prevent overtraining in Friesian horses.
Fitness in young Friesian horses improved during the 7-week test, but individual responses varied due to potential genetic influences.
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