No abstract

Changes in muscle fibers of adolescent Thoroughbreds are caused by training and not by growth. The most noticeable change was for the SDH activity of type-IIX/B fibers. These changes in the gluteus medius muscle of adolescent Thoroughbreds were considered to be appropriate adaptations to running middle distances at high speeds.

Hybrid fibers have an important role for determining the proportion of muscle fiber type in horses < 24 months old, and the metabolic and anatomic properties of the hybrid fibers are well coordinated, as in mature horses.

ABSTRACT. To evaluate a hypothese that use of bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) for early treatment of pneumonia would improve their prognosis by reducing bacterial numbers and excessive numbers of neutrophils in the lung, initial experiences with BAL in the diagnosis and treatment of pneumonia were performed in 36 racehorses that became ill within 24 hr of long distance travel (1,200-1,600 km, 26-32 hr) by road. Comparisons were made of the outcomes of the 36 horses and those of 42 horses (81.0% recovered, 50.0% returned to racing) treated for transport associated pneumonia without BAL. The total amount of BAL fluid injected during hospitalization varied from 700 to 3,700 ml and the duration of antibiotic treatments ranged from 5 to 40 days. Clinical symptoms after lavages showed good results with no side effects. None of the horses required thoracic drainage. Horses treated with BAL required shorter period of antibiotic therapy, a greater percentage recovered (100%, 36/36) and a greater percentage returned to racing (77.8%, 28/36). Eight (22.2%) never raced because of lameness or other considerations.

We measured the heart rate before, during and after a 1200-m race, and blood lactate concentration at 10 min after a race in 23 Thoroughbred horses. The heart rate increased when horses were walking through the underground passage and after the jockeys mounted them in the paddock, even though there was no increase in exercise intensity. During the canter from the exit of the underground passage to the starting stalls, the heart rate increased to a peak value of 194.0 ± 2.0 (mean ± SE) beat/min, which was equivalent to 91.1 ± 0.8% of the maximal racing heart rate. In the starting stalls immediately before the start of the race, the heart rate was 171.4 ± 5.3 beat/min. The peak value of the heart rate (HR peak ) during the race was 213.6 ± 1.7 beat/min, and the time taken to reach 95% of HR peak was 12.4 ± 1.8 sec. The blood lactate concentration after the race was 22.5 ± 0.6 mmol/l. The mean speed of the horses was 15.9 ± 0.0 m/s, which was similar to those of 3-year-olds in maiden races. These data could be useful for planning training strategies for Thoroughbred horses.