Text Box: Why Use a Treadmill? USE OF TREADMILL FOR TRAINING AND TESTING HORSES Ruben J. Rose BVSc, Dip Vet An, PhD, FRCVS, MACVSc, FACBS, Associate Professor, Department of Veterinary Clinical Studies University of Sydney NSW 2006, Australia. Equine treadmills are a new concept that allows controlled conditioning and training of all types of horses. Optimally designed treadmills should allow: Variable speeds. Variable slope adjustment to permit alteration of treadmill angle Some shock absorbing capacity during exercise. ADVANTAGES OF TREADMILL USE: Treadmills are becoming widely used all over the world. Advantages of their use include: The treadmill speed can be absolutely controlled. Unlike the situation on the racetrack, etc. where the control of the horse depends on the skill of the jockey or the trainer, a treadmill permits complete control of the speed so that the trainer can work the horse at the intended speed. The treadmill surface permits the legs to be stressed at a constant load, without variation in surface that occurs on the racetrack. Interval training programs are much simpler on a treadmill as the horse can be started and stopped much more easily. Assessments of fitness-the monitoring of fitness during training is notoriously difficult. While various blood tests at rest have been utilized, these have been shown not to be useful in assessing fitness; with the treadmill, it is possible to design standardized work yet so that blood lactate can be measured. These measurements provide the most consistent approach to determining improvements in fitness.

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