Autonomic nervous system activity in purebred Arabian horses evaluated according to the low frequency and high frequency spectrum versus racing performance

Janczarek, Iwona; Kędzierski, Witold; Stachurska, Anna; Wilk, Izabela; Kolstrung, Ryszard; Strzelec, Katarzyna

doi:10.2754/avb201685040355

Acta Veterinaria > Archive > 2016, Vol. 85 > Issue 4 > Autonomic nervous system activity in…

Acta Vet. Brno 2016, 85: 355-362

https://doi.org/10.2754/avb201685040355

Autonomic nervous system activity in purebred Arabian horses evaluated according to the low frequency and high frequency spectrum versus racing performance

Iwona Janczarek¹, Witold Kędzierski², Anna Stachurska¹, Izabela Wilk¹, Ryszard Kolstrung¹, Katarzyna Strzelec¹

¹University of Life Sciences in Lublin, Faculty of Biology, Animal Sciences and Bioeconomy, Department of Horse Breeding and Use, Lublin, Poland
²University of Life Sciences in Lublin, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Department of Biochemistry, Lublin, Poland

Received July 15, 2015
Accepted December 2, 2016

Emotional excitability influences horses’ performance in sports and races. The aim of the study was to analyse whether the balance of the autonomic system which can occur when sympathetic system activity is at various levels might impact the horses’ racing performance. The study was carried out on 67 purebred Arabian horses trained for racing. The following indices were analysed: low frequency (LF), high frequency (HF), and the ratio of spectrum power at low frequencies to high frequencies (LF/HF). The autonomic nervous system activity was measured × 3 during the training season, at three-month intervals. Each examination included a 30-min measurement at rest and after a training session. The racing performance indices in these horses were also analysed. Better racing results were found in horses with enhanced LF/HF. The worst racing results were determined in horses with low LF.