HEART RATE (HR) RELATED TO LACTATE MINIMUM SPEED (LMS) IN
HIGH-GOAL (ELITE) POLO PONIES1,2
Guilherme de Camargo Ferraz, Natália Benevides Foz, Roberto Pimenta de Pádua Foz
Filho, Marsel de C. Pereira, Marcela Ziliotto, Bruno Pecorino, Rosangela Zacarias
Machado, Antonio de Queiroz-Neto.
Introduction: LMS-guided training can be a more dependable alternative to the methods
of training that set a fixed velocity which corresponds to a pre-determined blood lactate
concentration (V4 or V2 - velocities at which blood lactate concentration is 2 or
4mmol/L, respectively). The well known linear relationship of HR and velocity allows
the calculation of the HR that corresponds to LMS (HRLMS). Since the HR is easily
obtained, it can be used to exercise the horse in a velocity closer to that which
corresponds to the lactate threshold. Methods: eleven trained polo ponies were
submitted to the LMS test. After a warm-up of five minutes at 11.0±1.6km.h-1, the
horses sprint for 2 min at velocity of 54±1.9km.h-1, and them were submitted to an
incremental exercise test which consisted in 3-minute steps at increasing velocities
(7.0±0.47; 13±2.9; 18±3.8; 24±4.0; 30±4.3 and 38±5km.h-1) and a cool-down at 7.0±1.4
km.h-1 for 10 minutes. Blood samples were collected for lactacidemia determination and
the HR and speed were checked at all time points. Results: the mean LMS was 26±1.72
km.h-1, the blood lactate related to LMS was of 4.55±1.0mmol/L, and the mean HRLMS
was 167±8 bpm. Discussion and Conclusion: despite the fact that the concentration of
lactate at LMS was close to 4mmol/L, it was observed a huge variation of this parameter
(from 0.75 to 10.5mmol/L) suggesting the need of an individual approach to determine
the training intensity of each horse. The association of the LMS
with the HR
determination may be a useful tool to improve the aerobic capacity of horses for at least
two reasons: first, because the individual evaluation, and second for being easier for the
practitioners, trainers and rides.
1
Laboratório de Fisiologia do Exercício Eqüino – LAFEQ, DMFA/FCAV/UNESP Campus de
Jaboticabal. Ethics committee, Unesp – Jaboticabal # 005817-08
2
Financial support by FAPESP n° 2007/08657-8
DMFA/FCAV/UNESP. Via de acesso Prof. Paulo D. Castellane, 14884-900, Jaboticabal-SP, Brazil.
[email protected]