Arfuso Francesca, Piccione Giuseppe, Trimarchi Fabio, Panzera Maria Francesca, Giannetto Claudia
Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Messina, Polo University Annunziata, Messina, Italy.
Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Messina, Polo University Annunziata, Messina, Italy.
J Equine Vet Sci. 2022 May;112:103919. doi: 10.1016/j.jevs.2022.103919. Epub 2022 Mar 5.
Horse trekking is a non-competitive sport that, as other kinds of exercise, involves skeletal muscle effort and may implicate significant energy expenditure leading to stress. The aim of the current study was to assess the effect of trekking on metabolic and stress response as well as muscle damage markers in clinically healthy horses. Thirty horses were equally divided in 3 groups according to trekking course: Group A (trekking course 15 km long), Group B (trekking course 35 km long starting;), Group C (three trekking courses for three consecutive days; during the first day the trekking course was 25 km long, Group C; during the second day the trekking course was 40 km long, Group C; during the third day the trekking course was 25 km long, Group C). Blood samples were collected from each horse before trekking (TPRE), after 5 min (TPOST) and 1 h from the trekking end to assess lactate, glucose, total proteins, non-esterified fatty acids (NEFAs), creatinine, aspartate aminotransferase (AST), creatine phosphokinase (CPK), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and cortisol concentration. Higher cortisol, lactate, glucose, NEFAs, creatinine, CPK, LDH and AST values were found after trekking than rest (P < .001). Horses of Groups C and C showed higher values of the investigated haematochemical parameters and muscle enzymes than Groups A and B. The findings suggest that trekking induces a metabolic reaction accompanied by an acute stress response in horses and underline that this recreational exercise, if not associated with the adequate recovery period, can increase the probability of muscle damage.
骑马长途跋涉是一项非竞技性运动，与其他类型的运动一样，需要骨骼肌发力，可能会导致大量能量消耗并引发压力。本研究的目的是评估长途跋涉对临床健康马匹代谢和应激反应以及肌肉损伤标志物的影响。根据跋涉路线，30匹马被平均分为3组：A组（跋涉路线长15公里），B组（跋涉路线长35公里起），C组（连续三天进行三次跋涉；第一天跋涉路线长25公里，C组；第二天跋涉路线长40公里，C组；第三天跋涉路线长25公里，C组）。在跋涉前（TPRE）、5分钟后（TPOST）以及跋涉结束后1小时从每匹马采集血样，以评估乳酸、葡萄糖、总蛋白、非酯化脂肪酸（NEFAs）、肌酐、天冬氨酸转氨酶（AST）、肌酸磷酸激酶（CPK）、乳酸脱氢酶（LDH）和皮质醇浓度。发现跋涉后皮质醇、乳酸、葡萄糖、NEFAs、肌酐、CPK、LDH和AST值高于休息时（P <.001）。C组和C组的马匹在研究的血液生化参数和肌肉酶方面的值高于A组和B组。研究结果表明，长途跋涉会在马匹中引发代谢反应并伴有急性应激反应，并强调这种休闲运动如果没有与足够的恢复期相关联，会增加肌肉损伤的可能性。
