A lactate-guided conditioning programme to improve endurance performance

Area of Science:

• Equine Exercise Physiology
• Sports Science
• Animal Performance

Background:

• Blood lactate measurements are crucial for assessing equine athletic performance.
• The velocity at which blood lactate reaches 4 mmol/l (v4) is a key indicator of equine fitness.
• Previous research suggests low-intensity, long-duration exercise improves endurance, but optimal training prescription adjustments are unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate if frequent adjustments to conditioning regimes enhance equine endurance more effectively than a static program.
• To determine if a lactate-guided conditioning program, with bi-weekly adjustments, can significantly improve v4 in horses.

Main Methods:

• Six horses underwent treadmill-based standard exercise tests (SET) to establish baseline v4.
• Horses were conditioned at a calculated velocity at 2 mmol/l blood lactate (v2) for 45 minutes, three times weekly.
• The conditioning protocol was adjusted every two weeks based on SET results over a six-week period.

Main Results:

• Mean v4 increased by 17% from the initial to the final SET (5.8 to 6.8 m/s).
• The observed improvement in v4 was statistically significant (P = 0.003).
• Bi-weekly adjustments to the conditioning protocol based on v4 improvements were effective.

Conclusions:

• A lactate-guided conditioning program significantly enhances equine endurance performance.
• Frequent adjustments (every two weeks) to training intensity are necessary for maximizing v4 improvements.
• This study validates the use of v4 as a dynamic target for optimizing equine endurance training.