Environmental stress and 3-day eventing: Effects of altitude
Foreman H, Waldsmith JK, & RB Lalum
Eq Vet J, Suppl. 30:394-397, 1999
The effect of 3-day eventing at high altitude was studied on 24 mature eventing horses at 1900 meters (6200 feet) above sea level. At 1900m horses had significantly greater work effort from both a cardiopulmonary and metabolic perspective in comparison to horses competing at similar distances and velocities at sea level. The conclusion was that increased altitude was physiologically more stressful for 3-day event horses than competition at sea level. High-Low training negates the stresses associated with high altitude training. Altitude simulation to pre-acclimate horses may be beneficial in reducing the increased workload at altitude and reduce the physiological stress associated with competition at higher elevations.
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