Studies about the relation between training condition, heart rate and energy requirement in horses

Summary In the present study 20 warmblood horses were lunged standardized for 35 minutes in walk and trot and the heart rate was recorded. The horses under test were divided into two different groups depending on their training condition. The statistical analysis of the heart rate revealed that the untrained horses showed significantly higher values than the trained ones. The main reasons for this result are psychosomatic factors, which are particularly influential in the submaximal region, and animal-individual influences as well as the training condition. Also the energy requirement was calculated. The maintenance requirement according to estimated body weight was an average of 59.6 MJ ME. The requirement for performance, calculated on...