Study on cardiac arrhythmia, exercise intensity and tournament results
Increased load in the field correlates with better results, but more faults in jumping
Contents
A new study, published in the Equine Veterinary Journal, investigated cardiac arrhythmias and heart rate variability (HRV) in eventing horses during the cross-country course and their influence on competition results.
Main findings of the study
- Arrhythmias are widespread: 74% of the ECGs analyzed showed cardiac arrhythmias without the horses showing symptoms of heart disease.
- Positive correlation with the cross-country result: horses with more arrhythmias or more complex rhythm disturbances had fewer time faults in the cross-country, which indicates a higher ability to cope with stress.
- Negative correlation with show jumping: However, the same horses had more faults in the show jumping course on the following day, which could indicate fatigue effects.
- Higher heart rates and lactate levels lead to better cross-country results: Horses with a higher mean heart rate (HRmean), a higher peak heart rate (HRpeak) and a higher blood lactate level after cross-country had fewer time faults, which could indicate more intense exercise and better readiness for competition.
The results show that cardiac arrhythmias occur frequently in eventing horses under competition conditions and are associated with performance factors. However, it remains unclear at what point certain arrhythmias pose a risk to safety and performance.
The authors emphasize that gender, age and the percentage of thoroughbred blood in a horse can influence the correlation between cardiac arrhythmias, stress and competition results. Further research is needed to define which arrhythmias should be considered a concern and whether they could be an indicator of potential health risks.
The entire study can be read here: https://beva.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/evj.14491