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ABSTRACT - The objective of this study was to the evaluate physiological, hematological and biochemical parameters
of eventing horses fed diets containing soybean oil and submitted to physical effort tests. Twelve horses were used in a
completely randomized design with two diets and six replications. The diets used were: diet without soybean oil inclusion
(control) and diet with inclusion of 10% soybean oil. The experiment lasted 82 days, with three exercise tests: at the beginning,
60 th and 82 th day of the experiment. There were five data collections for each test: before the test with the horses at rest,
immediately after the test, and at 10, 20 and 120 minutes after each test. Body temperature and rate heart were taken and
blood samples were collected to evaluate hematological and biochemical variables. The mean values of the physiological,
metalogical and biochemical parameters were submitted to non-parametric analysis. The inclusion of soybean oil only altered
the -glutamyltransferase (GGT) and creatinine concentration in function time of intake of the diet. There was effect of
trainings time on the horses conditioning that improved with reduction in the lactate concentration while the glucose
concentration increased at the last exercise test.
Key Words: horses, nutrition, riding, training
Introduction
Eventing is an Olympic equestrian sport with three
tests: dressage, cross country and show jumping that takes
place over three days, with the same rider-horse (FEI, 2007).
The horses need a high energy concentrate in the diets
(Andrews et al., 1995) and these requirements depend on
Received October 23, 2008 and accepted May 18, 2009.
Corresponding author: falmeida@ufrrj.br
336
Godoi et al.
10
Concentrate (%)
Soybean meal (%)
Soybean oil (%)
Coast-cross hay (%)
Salt (%)
Mineral mix 1 (%)
Total
65.4
0.8
0.0
33.0
0.6
0.2
100
44.8
11.0
9.8
33.0
0.6
0.6
100
Nutritional composition
Dry matter (%)
Organic matter (%)
Crude protein (%)
Ether extract (%)
Neutral detergent fiber (%)
Acid detergent fiber (%)
Cellulose (%)
88.1
87.8
10.8
4.7
55.6
23.5
16.2
89.4
89.6
13.7
13.3
47.5
20.8
14.8
10
445.6
11.23
2.42
1.21
2.73
45.7
0.43
0.98
6.24
2.64
3.60
478.1
9.89
1.98
1.35
2.75
45.7
1.26
2.57
5.56
2.06
2.64
Live weight.
337
Digestible
Digestible
Digestible
Digestible
Digestible
Digestible
Digestible
Digestible
Digestible
Soybean oil
inclusion (%)
10
CV (%)
7.00a
0.85b
1.84b
31.3a
0.06a
0.31b
0.70b
3.26a
2.21a
6.21b
1.12a
2.18a
33.3a
0.06a
1.16a
2.32a
2.23b
1.31b
3.73
3.52
0.78
8.12
6.80
1.87
1.88
4.57
8.60
0.004
0.000
0.000
NS
NS
0.000
0.000
0.000
0.000
CV coefficient of variation.
Values in a line, followed different letters are different (P<0.05) by Fisher test.
338
Godoi et al.
Table 4 - Hematological and biochemical variables in horses at rest and fed diet with soybean oil, at the beginning, 60th and 82 th days
of the experiment
Analyte
Experimental period
Beginning
60 th
day
P (Diet)
82 th
Reference values
day
Hematocrit (%)
Erytrocytes (10 6 /L)
Hemoglobin (g/dL)
Mean corpuscular volume (fL)
Mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (%)
White blood cells (109/L)
Neutrophils (10 9 /L)
Lymphocytes (10 9 /L)
Monocytes (10 9 /L)
Eosinophils (10 9 /L)
32.0
5.5
10.6Bab
58.2Ba
33.0Bab
6.6
3.4
2.6Cab
0.4
0.2
30.8
5.2
9.9C.b
59.9Cb
32.0ABb
8.4
4.7
4.2Bb
0.7
0.2
Hematology
34.3
4.7
12.5Aa
74.5Aa
36.5Aa
8.7
3.0
5.8Aa
0.5
0.3
NS
NS
NS
NS
0.018
NS
NS
NS
NS
NS
38 421
7 11 1
11 17 1
42 47 1
31 392
6 11 1
2.3 8.6 3
2.0 5.5 1
0.2 0.8 1
0 1.0 1
Triglycerides (mg/dL)
Cholesterol (mg/dL)
Urea nitrogen (mg/dL)
Total solids (g/dL)
Fibrinogen (mg/dL)
37.5
102.2Aa
27.3
6.5Bab
336.4
34.5
81.2Ba
34.3
6.2Cb
333.3
Blood biochemistry
34.4
94.6Ca
47.3
8.0Aa
395.5
NS
0.007
NS
NS
NS
40 444
75 150 2
24 481
5.5 7.5 1
< 400 1
Values in a line, followed by different uppercase letters are different (P<0.05), in function of the assay period within the control diet, by Friedman test.
Values in line, followed different lowercase letters are different, in function of the assay period within the diet, by Friedman test (P<0.05).
1 Hodgson & Rose (1994); 2 Smith (1993); 3 Robinson (1997); 4 Kaneko (1997).
339
Table 5 - Heart rate, body temperature and blood biochemical parameters of horses fed diet with soybean oil included and submitted
to exercise tests at the beginning and on the 60th and 82th day
Item
Exercise test
At rest
Immediately after
10 min after
33.5d
37.3c
88.5a
0.6d
11.1b
343.6a
147.2a
1.3a
102.5a
38.7a
84.5a
6.2a
14.2a
399.1a
209.1a
1.3a
At the beginning
75.8b
38.5a
88.3a
4.5b
14.0a
374.5a
101.4a
1.4a
54.3c
38.3b
95.5a
3.7c
13.9a
343.6a
212.4a
1.2ab
36.4d
37.4c
89.7a
0.9d
12.3b
355.5a
196.6a
0.9b
0.000
0.000
NS
0.000
0.001
NS
NS
0.001
40.1d
37.6d
83.5ab
0.9e
22.9a
127.7b
84.3a
1.0c
132.5a
38.9ab
75.8b
6.1a
29.8a
145.7b
93.1a
1.0bc
60 th day
67.0b
38.7a
84.2a
4.0b
26.6a
151.8b
127.7a
1.0ab
57.0c
38.4b
86.9a
2.6c
27.1a
169.2b
114.0a
1.1a
40.1d
37.9c
88.0a
1.2d
22.9a
243.7a
112.2a
1.1ab
0.000
0.000
0.043
0.000
NS
0.049
NS
0.006
40.0d
37.6b
90.8a
0.5d
13.3a
136.7b
2.1b
130.7a
39.3a
94.3a
4.1a
15.9a
193.2a
2.2a
82 th day
75.3b
39.2a
96.1a
2.9b
14.6a
232.3a
2.4a
59.3c
39.1a
109.1a
1.6c
14.3a
180.6a
2.4a
42.0d
37.6b
96.6a
0.4e
10.7a
207.1a
2.2a
0.000
0.000
NS
0.000
NS
0.014
NS
Values in a line followed different letters differ (P<0.05) in function of the collection time by Friedman test.
42.0a
37.6b
96.6a
0.4b
9.7b
207.1a
2.2a
40.1a
37.9a
88.0c
1.2a
22.9a
243.7b
112.2b
1.1b
36.4a
37.4c
89.7a
0.9a
12.3b
355.5a
196.6ab
0.9b
57.0a
38.4b
86.9a
2.6ab
27.1a
169.2b
105.0b
1.1b
Values, on a line, followed different letters differ (P<0.05), in function of the exercise test, by Friedman test.
1 ET exercise test; GGT = -glutamil transferase; AST = aspartate aminotransferase; CK = creatine quinase.
67.0a
38.7b
84.2a
4.0a
26.6a
151.8b
127.7b
1.0c
75.8a
38.5b
88.3a
4.5a
14.0b
374.5a
101.4ab
1.4b
132.5a
38.9b
75.8b
6.1a
29.8a
145.7b
93.1b
1.0c
40.0a
37.6a
90.8a
0.5b
13.3b
136.7a
2.1a
40.1a
37.6a
83.5a
0.9a
22.9a
127.7b
84.3a
1.0c
33.5b
37.3a
88.5a
0.6a
11.1b
343.6a
147.2a
1.3b
Heart rate (bpm)
Body temperature (C)
Glucose (mg/dL)
Lactate (mmol/L)
GGT (U/L)
AST (U/L)
CK (U/L)
Creatinine (mg/dL)
0.033
NS
NS
0.002
0.001
0.003
NS
0.001
102.5b
38.7b
84.5b
6.2a
14.2b
399.1a
209.1ab
1.3b
130.7a
39.3a
94.3a
4.1b
15.9b
193.2a
2.2a
0.007
0.009
0.009
0.022
0.001
0.003
0.020
0.000
75.3a
39.2a
96.1a
3.3a
14.6b
232.3a
2.4a
NS
0.002
NS
NS
0.001
0.003
0.045
0.001
54.3a
38.3b
95.5a
3.7a
13.9b
343.6a
127.6ab
1.2b
82 th day
60th day
Beginning
59.3a
39.1a
109.1a
1.6b
14.3b
180.6a
2.4a
NS
0.004
NS
0.016
0.045
0.004
0.002
0.001
Beginning
60th day
82 th day
PET
Exercise test
120 min after
PET
Exercise test
20 min after
PET
Exercise test
10 min after
PET
Exercise test
Imediately after
PET 1
Exercise test
At rest
Item
higher value in horses fed the diet with soybean oil, of 17.0 U/L
and lower value in horses fed the control diet, of 10.4 U/L.
There was effect of soybean oil inclusion on the
creatinine concentration only on the 82th day of the
experiment and at 120 minutes after the test (P=0.040), and
a higher value was observed in horses fed with 10% soybean
oil inclusion, of 2.6 mg/dL and lower values in horses fed the
control diet, of 2.0 mg/dL. Other evaluated parameters were
not influenced by the diets.
There was effect of exercise on body temperature in all
the physical effort tests, with a higher value immediately
after exercise, varying from 38.7 to 39.3 oC (Table 6). Body
temperature in horses was also influenced by weather
variation, promoting higher metabolic distress in horses at
the third exercise test, reducing heat loss from the horses,
resulting in higher body temperature after exercise, of 39.9 oC.
The body temperature of horses only decreased 120 minutes
after the test had finished, while in other tests body
temperature began to decrease 20 minutes after the tests.
Mattos et al., (2006) verified that including soybean oil in
the diet reduced body temperature at the end of 2 hours in
horses at trot, with values of 39.2 oC.
There was effect of physical effort and training on
lactate concentration. Exercise influenced lactate levels,
with higher values immediately after the test, and as time
passed, values at rest returned. The return to basal values
is an indicative of improvement in the horse performance
according to training period. This was proved because
there was an effect of training time with lower lactate
concentrations at all the collection moments, observed on
the 82th day of the experiment. According to Lindner (2000),
blood lactate is a variable that best correlates with exercise
effort, and thus enables the evaluation of the horse
conditioning.
Similar to this assay, Marqueze et al. (2001) did not
observe meaningful difference in lactate concentration
between horses fed diets with (4.7%) or without soybean
oil included, before and after exercise. However, Mattos et al.
(2006) observed that in horses fed diets with 0, 3.1 and 6.8%
soybean oil inclusion, the lactate concentrations differed
(P<0.05) at the end of exercise effort, with higher values in
horses fed diet with high soybean oil inclusion. This
difference might be because of the type and duration of the
exercise effort.
Gomide et al. (2006) evaluated lactate blood
concentrations in eventing horses and observed that
determining lactate concentration at the end of exercise and
the horses capacity to reduce it allows to inference on
exercise effort and training level. So it can be considered
NS
0.000
NS
0.001
0.001
0.004
0.045
0.001
Godoi et al.
Table 6 - Horse heart rate, body temperature and biochemical serum at collection times according to exercise tests
340
341
342
Godoi et al.
Conclusions
Training improves conditioning of horses by reducing
plasmatic lactate and increasing plasmatic glucose at the
last exercise test. Inclusion of soybean oil in the diet of
eventing horses affected the plasmatic concentrations of
-glutamyl transferase and creatinine through diet intake,
while the other physiological, hematological and biochemical
parameters evaluated were not altered. Soybean oil can be
used in horse diets to supply energetic requirements and
reduce dry matter intake that are desirable in equestrian
activity.
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