Effect of Recovery Periods during Conditioning of Horses on Fitness Parameters

The effect of recovery from training has not been studied in horses. Therefore, the effect of recovery was examined with exercise of known effect within a conditioning period (CP). A standardized exercise test was performed at the beginning of CP to determine v4, v10, and v180 (horse's speed, which produced a blood lactate concentration of 4 and 10 mmol/L and a heart rate of 180 beats/min). Six horses were conditioned for three periods of 2 weeks, 5 times per fortnight at their individual v10 for two bouts of 5 minutes on a treadmill. Every 2 weeks of conditioning was followed by 1 week with reduced workload. Standardized exercise test was repeated after each 2 weeks of conditioning and 2 weeks after finishing CP. Exercise speed was individually adapted to the new v10 for every 2 weeks of conditioning. In addition, peak oxygen consumption before, after 3 weeks of conditioning, and at the end of the CP was measured. The mean v4 increased steadily during CP. v180 did not change, whereas peak oxygen consumption increased between the beginning and after 3 weeks of conditioning and leveled off thereafter. In conclusion, reducing the workload for 1 week after 2 weeks of conditioning 5 times per fortnight at v10 for two bouts of 5 minutes allowed for a continuous increase of v4, but the extent of the increase was smaller than in another study with a similar conditioning program but for the recovery week. The effect of recovery from training needs further studies.