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Elite athletes like racehorses and three-day event horses sometimes exercise on hot, humid days, often resulting in high body temperatures that must be lowered quickly before heat-related stressors set in. While much research has been performed on effective cooling strategies, a new study compared several different cooling methods.^*

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Thoroughbreds were exercised on an inclined treadmill until the pulmonary artery temperature reached 107.6 degrees Fahrenheit. One of five cooling methods was then implemented. The methods included:

Walking on a treadmill with one commercial fan placed 6.5 feet in front of the horse set at low velocity to simulate the breeze that would occur if walked outside (control);
Walking on a treadmill with two fans placed 13 feet in front of the horse set at almost twice the airflow of the fans used in the control;
Cooling with intermittent application of cold water (4.2 gallons at 50 degrees Fahrenheit) every three minutes on its body behind the neck, scraping as much water as possible after dousing; two cycles of dousing performed with return to treadmill walking and two low-speed fans in the interim;
Cooling with intermittent application of cold water (16 liters; 50° F or 10° C) every three minutes on its body behind the neck with no scraping; two cycles performed with return to the treadmill and two low-speed fans in the interim; and
Showering continuously with tap water (78.8 degrees Fahrenheit) for 30 minutes with no return to the treadmill.

To determine the most effective cooling method, researchers measured the time necessary for the pulmonary artery temperature to return to 102.2 degrees Fahrenheit or lower, and recorded the rectal temperature at 30 minutes after onset of cooling.

The researchers concluded that showering the horse continuously with a large volume of tap water resulted in the most rapid decrease of both pulmonary artery and rectal temperatures, signifying its effectiveness as a way to achieve cooling in hot, humid conditions.

Sweat production goes hand-in-hand with exercise. Multiple factors determine how much sweat is lost doing any exercise bout (heat, humidity, and work intensity, for example). Light exercise with minimal sweating may induce a sweat loss of 1 quart to 1 gallon, while high-performance horses at the peak of exertion may have losses of 12.25 to 3 gallons.

Because large quantities of electrolytes are lost in sweat, electrolyte supplementation becomes a key factor in managing the diets of performance horses. Choose research-proven electrolytes formulated by specialists in equine nutrition and exercise physiology.

Electrolyte supplementation is not season-specific. Well-formulated electrolytes should be used whenever horses sweat on a daily or near daily basis, no matter the season.

^*Takahashi, Y., H. Ohmura, K. Mukai, T. Shiose, and T. Takahashi. 2020. A comparison of five cooling methods in hot and humid environments in Thoroughbred horses. Journal of Equine Veterinary Science 91:103130.

Read more here.

Reprinted courtesy of Kentucky Equine Research. Visit ker.com for the latest in equine nutrition and management, and subscribe to Equinews to receive these articles directly.

The post Chill Out: Researchers Compare Cooling Methods For Equine Athletes appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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The Humane Society Legislative Fund commends the U.S. House of Representatives for passing an appropriations package that features numerous animal protection provisions, including directives for better enforcement of laws that target horse soring and other animal cruelty, expanded shelter options for domestic violence survivors with pets, and measures to prevent horse slaughter on U.S. soil, enhance U.S. Department of Agriculture laboratories' compliance with animal welfare standards, and encourage the transition of egg farmers to cage-free operations.

Other animal welfare provisions approved include funding increases to implement a humane, long-term management regime for wild horses and burros on federal land, combat wildlife trafficking, protect endangered and threatened species, and address the dangers of live wildlife markets and zoonotic disease spillover, along with directives to reduce animal testing and to promote federal building designs and materials that reduce bird mortality from collisions.

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“These extraordinary gains are a testament to the power of the purse, and the clearest possible indication that animal protection enjoys strong support from the majority of House members,” said Sara Amundson, president of Humane Society Legislative Fund. “We'll move right into gear to press the Senate to follow suit, because these are all important measures that deserve to be enacted.”

The bill also prohibits funds from being used by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to issue permits for the import of a sport-hunted trophy of an elephant or lion taken in Tanzania, Zambia or Zimbabwe – three countries where the species populations are in severe decline. Rep. Ted Lieu, D-Calif., led a letter seeking this prohibition signed by a bipartisan set of 33 representatives. An amendment to strike this important provision was defeated.

Additional amendments approved by a vote of 371 to 55 authorize the transfer of $2 million to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to study the plight of the West Indian manatee in Florida and potential remedies, championed by Rep. Vern Buchanan, R-Fla., and direct the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to use $5 million for equine assisted therapy within the VA's Adaptive Sports Program, which was advanced by Rep. Andy Barr, R-Ky.

The measures are part of H.R. 4502, “Minibus #1”, which passed by a vote of 219 to 208. This package of seven appropriations bills funds several federal departments including Agriculture, Interior, and Health and Human Services, and contains many pro-animal provisions approved by earlier committee action, highlighted here and here.

House Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee Chairman Sanford Bishop, D-Ga., proved a strong champion of animal provisions in his bill, many of which were requested by a bipartisan set of 204 Representatives and 43 Senators led in the House by Reps. Earl Blumenauer, D-Ore., and Christopher Smith, R-N.J. Rep. Barbara Lee, D-Calif., led a committee amendment to limit higher-speed slaughter lines.

“The way we treat animals reflects the values we hold. I'm thrilled to see so many of our bipartisan animal welfare provisions reflected in the appropriation bills moving forward in Congress,” said Rep. Earl Blumenauer, co-chair of the Congressional Animal Protection Caucus. “From supporting cage-free egg laying facilities to strengthening the humane handling requirements for poultry plants to stopping horse soring, we are taking critical steps to ensure better treatment of wild and domestic animals.”

By a vote of 217 to 212, the House also passed a separate appropriations bill, H.R. 4373, funding the State Department, U.S. Agency for International Development, and other agencies that adds tens of millions of dollars and key provisions to tackle the combined threats to human health and animal welfare worldwide from wildlife trafficking and live wildlife markets that are associated with zoonotic disease transmission. During debate on that bill, the House approved a good amendment on combatting the trafficking of endangered species, which was offered by Rep. Jackson Lee, D-Texas.

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Chill Out: Researchers Compare Cooling Methods For Equine Athletes

United States House Passes Funding Package With Multitude Of Pro-Animal Provisions