Equine Exercise Physiology

Equine exercise physiology is an area that has been subject to major scientific advances over the last 30 years, largely due to the increased availability of high-speed treadmills and techniques for recording physiological function during exercise. Despite the scientific advances, many riders and trainers are still using little more than experience and intuition to train their horses.

The aim of this book is to sort the fact from the fiction for the benefit of those involved in training, managing or working with horses, and to provide an up-to-date summary of the state of play in equine exercise physiology. Scientific theories are explained from first principles, with the assumption that the reader has no previous scientific background. The book is designed to save competitors and trainers a lot of time and effort trying to extract information in piecemeal fashion from a host of reference sources. For the first time, everything you need to know about exercising and training horses is here in one text.

Dr David Marlin is the leading expert on equine exercise physiology in the UK, and is well known internationally. He has published over 100 scientific papers and is best known for his work on heat and humidity leading up to the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games. Throughout his career he has also worked with top racehorse trainer Luca Cumani and the British Eventing, Dressage, Show-jumping and Endurance teams. He is currently Head of Physiology at the Animal Health Trust in Newmarket and a Visiting Professor in Cardio-Respiratory Physiology at the University of Bristol.

Kathryn Nankervis has taught equine exercise physiology on a range of programmes from National Diploma to MSc level. Her current job is Equine Science Centre Manager at Hartpury College. This unique centre is one of the best in Europe and combines an Equine Veterinary and Therapy Centre. Kathryn designs individually tailored exercise programmes using a wide range of techniques in order to rehabilitate competition horses with musculoskeletal dysfunction.

Foreword.

Acknowledgements.

Part I The Raw Materials.

1 Introduction.

2 Energetics of exercise.

3 Muscles.

4 Connective tissue.

5 The respiratory system.

6 The cardiovascular system.

Part II Exercise and Training Responses.

7 Muscular responses.

8 Skeletal responses.

9 Respiratory responses.

10 Cardiovascular responses.

11 Aspects of physiological stress and fatigue.

12 Thermoregulation.

13 Introduction to biomechanics.

Part III Applications of Exercise Physiology.

14 The demands of equestrian sport.

15 Training principles.

16 Training facilities.

17 Practical training.

18 Exercise testing.

19 Indicators of performance.

20 Feeding performance horses.

21 Transport.

References.

Further reading.

Index.