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Published on: June 1, 2019
Relationships between body dimensions, body weight, age, gender, breed and echocardiographic dimensions in young
D S Trachsel1,2, A Giraudet3, D Maso3
1CIRALE-Hippolia, Médecine Sportive, RD 674, F-14430, Goustranville, France. dagmart@sund.ku.dk.
Insights
Echocardiographic heart dimensions in endurance horses aged 4-6 years increase with age and show weak associations with training initiation. Body dimensions and breed influence left atrial and ventricular sizes more than exercise intensity.
Area of Science:
- Veterinary Cardiology
- Equine Sports Medicine
- Animal Physiology
Background:
- The Athlete's heart describes physiological cardiac enlargement due to aerobic training.
- Factors like body weight, size, growth, and breed influence heart dimensions.
- Limited data exists on heart dimensions in Arabian-related endurance horses concerning growth and training.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the influence of body dimensions, body weight, age, gender, breed, and endurance training initiation on echocardiographic measurements.
- To describe cardiac adaptations in competition-fit endurance horses aged 4 to 6 years.
Main Methods:
- Echocardiographic measurements were taken in 4-6 year old endurance horses.
- Variables included body length, thoracic circumference, withers height, body weight, age, gender, breed, and training history.
- Regression models were used to assess the influence of these factors on cardiac dimensions.
Main Results:
- Left atrial (LA) and left ventricular (LV) dimensions increased with age, but functional indices did not.
- Females had larger LA dimensions; Anglo-Arabians exhibited the largest LV dimensions.
- Body weight, breed, and competition kilometers most consistently influenced LV dimensions, while age, body dimensions, breed, and gender influenced LA dimensions.
Conclusions:
- Ongoing growth is indicated by increasing echocardiographic dimensions in 4-6 year old horses.
- Small changes were observed with the initiation of endurance training.
- Morphometric dimensions significantly influenced LA dimensions, and exercise intensity parameters weakly influenced LV dimensions, suggesting early training adaptations.
Background:
The heart's physiological adaptation to aerobic training leads to an increase in heart chamber size, and is referred to as the Athlete's heart. However, heart dimensions are also related to body weight (BWT), body size, growth and (in some species) breed. There are few published data on the relationships between heart dimensions and growth or aerobic training in Arabian and Arabian-related endurance horses. Therefore the objective of the present study was to describe the influence of body dimensions (body length (BL), thoracic circumference (TC), withers height (WH)), BWT, age, gender, breed (purebred Arabians, part-bred Arabians, Anglo-Arabians, and Others) and the initiation of endurance training on echocardiographic measurements in competition-fit endurance horses aged 4 to 6 years.
Results:
Most left atrial (LA) and left ventricular (LV) dimensions increased with age, whereas LA and LV functional indices did not. Although there was no gender difference for LV dimensions, females had larger LA dimensions. In terms of breed, Anglo-Arabians had the largest LV dimensions. Regression models indicated that the included explanatory factors had a weak influence on heart dimensions. Age, body dimensions, breed and gender showed the most consistent influence on LA dimensions, whereas BWT, breed and kilometres covered in competition showed the most consistent influence on LV dimensions.
Conclusion:
The increase in echocardiographic dimensions with age indicates on-going growth in our population of 4 to 6 year-old horses. We also observed small changes associated with the initiation of endurance training. Morphometric dimensions had a greater influence on LA dimensions, whereas LV dimensions were also influenced (albeit weakly) by parameters associated with exercise intensity. These results may therefore reflect early adaptations linked to the initiation of endurance training.
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