Describing workload and scientific information on conditioning horses.

Abstract At the International Conference on Equine Exercise Physiology (ICEEP7), about 70 people attended the workshop on workload and conditioning guided by the authors. Most of the audience were involved in Thoroughbred or Standardbred racing, and only a limited number of people were mainly involved in FEI equestrian disciplines (sport horses). The workshop and this review article address the measurement of workload and conditioning of the Thoroughbred racehorse. It was proposed that workload could be quantified using a few selected parameters commonly recorded in the racing industries, such as velocity and distance, to generate a cumulative workload index. The review of conditioning focuses on the Thoroughbred racehorse and examines what can be modified with training, how training programmes should be designed based upon scientific methods and how training programmes should be routinely designed in current practice. It would appear that, in general, the methods used in practice for training Thoroughbred racehorses are quite similar to those used in a set of recent scientific studies, particularly in young (2?3-years-old) Thoroughbreds. Nevertheless, both the length of the training programme and the total amount of exercise are usually shorter/lower than ideal in order to maximize physiological adaptations within the animal's body. In planning the training programme, it is very important to recognize that different adaptations occur at different rates, and this will affect the relative amount of training that should be applied to achieve specific adaptations.