Horses have a slow rate of muscle glycogen repletion relative to other species for unknown reasons. Our aim was to determine the expression of glucose transporters (GLUT) and genes impacting GLUT4 expression and translocation in the gluteal muscle. Five fit Thoroughbred horses performed glycogen-depleting exercises on high-starch (HS, 2869 g starch/day) and low-starch, highfat diets […]

Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) is an essential component of the mitochondrial electron transfer system and a potent antioxidant. The impact of CoQ10 supplementation on mitochondrial capacities and the muscle proteome is largely unknown. This study determined the effect of CoQ10 supplementation on muscle CoQ10 concentrations, antioxidant balance, the proteome, and mitochondrial respiratory capacities. In a randomized […]

Kentucky Equine Research has created a free 90-page guide titled Nutrition of the Performance Horse that broadly covers the best ways to manage equine athletes, regardless of discipline, and includes practical management strategies and effective solutions for nutrition-related problems. In-depth discussions are also included regarding common issues such as gastric ulcers, hindgut acidosis, joint care, […]

Researchers assessed the relationship between plasma and RBC fatty acid composition and incidence and severity of squamous gastric ulcers when altered by short- or long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acid supplementation. Thirteen fit Thoroughbred horses in training were used in this study. Horses were evaluated by gastroscopy for squamous ulcer score, gastric pH, and blood fatty acid […]

Coenzyme-Q is vital for mitochondrial respiration, but the impact of coenzyme-Q supplementation on equine skeletal muscle mitochondria is unknown. Exercising Thoroughbred horses (8.7±2.2 yr) were used in a cross-over design to test the hypothesis that supplementation of highly bioavailable coenzyme-Q (Nano-Q10, Kentucky Equine Research) would improve mitochondrial metrics in the gluteus medius. Muscle samples collected […]

Horses have one of the highest skeletal muscle oxidative capacities amongst mammals, which, combined with a high glycolytic capacity, could perturb redox status during maximal exercise. We determined the effect of 30 d of oral coenzyme Q10 and N-acetyl cysteine supplementation (NACQ) on muscle glutathione (GSH), cysteine, ROS, and coenzyme Q10 concentrations, and the muscle […]

Recovery from intense exercise is crucial in the equine athlete and numerous nutritional interventions have been proposed to benefit exercise recovery. Branched-chain amino acids (leucine, isoleucine, valine; BCAA) have been associated with improved muscle protein synthesis post-exercise. N-acetylcysteine (NAC) is a precursor to glutathione, a powerful antioxidant involved in many biological pathways, and supplementation has […]

Racehorses are among the most elite athletes in the equine industry. However, little is known about mitochondrial adaptations to race training. To test the hypothesis that race training increases mitochondrial biogenesis and capacity, gluteus medius samples were collected from Thoroughbred horses (11 geldings, 2 mares) before and after 14 wk of early race training. Horses […]

In the mitochondria, complexes I and III of the electron transport system (ETS) generate reactive oxygen species (ROS) during exercise that are reduced by antioxidants to mitigate oxidative stress. Among these antioxidants are thiol-based antioxidants such as glutathione as well as coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10), which also transports electrons from complex I and II to complex […]

The relationship between heart rate (HR) and velocity under saddle or on a treadmill can be used to estimate cardiovascular fitness in horses. Whether HR data gathered during other types of exercise can be used to estimate fitness is unknown. This study hypothesized that HR data collected on a mechanical walker could be used to […]