Equine Exercise Physiology*

The aim of this book is to sort the fact from the fiction for the benefit of those involved in training, managing or working with horses, and to provide an up-to-date summary of the state of play in equine exercise physiology. Scientific theories are explained from first principles, with the assumption that the reader has no previous scientific background.

The book is designed to save competitors and trainers a lot of time and effort trying to extract information in piecemeal fashion from a host of reference sources. For the first time, everything you need to know about exercising and training horses is here in one text.

Table of Contents:

Foreword.

Acknowledgements.

Part I The Raw Materials.

1 Introduction.

2 Energetics of exercise.

3 Muscles.

4 Connective tissue.

5 The respiratory system.

6 The cardiovascular system.

Part II Exercise and Training Responses.

7 Muscular responses.

8 Skeletal responses.

9 Respiratory responses.

10 Cardiovascular responses.

11 Aspects of physiological stress and fatigue.

12 Thermoregulation.

13 Introduction to biomechanics.

Part III Applications of Exercise Physiology.

14 The demands of equestrian sport.

15 Training principles.

16 Training facilities.

17 Practical training.

18 Exercise testing.

19 Indicators of performance.

20 Feeding performance horses.

21 Transport.

References.

Further reading.

Index.