Effects of Uphill Exercise on Digestible Energy Intake and Energy Expenditure during Exercise in Yearling Horses

The objectives of this study were to evaluate the digestible energy intake and energy expenditure in yearling horses on different training protocols (uphill- and level-track exercise training protocols). Twenty-four thoroughbred yearlings (12 males and 12 females, aged 27.0$\pm$0.9 months) were divided into two groups based on their training on two different tracks: the uphill (with a gradient of about 3%) training group (uphill training) and the level training group (level training). The digestible energy (DE) intake and energy expenditure (EE) during exercise were measured in both the groups. It was found that the DE intake in the uphill training and the level training groups was 5.1$\pm$3.1 and 36.9$\pm$4.8 Mcal/day, respectively. The EE during exercise in the two groups was 3.05$\pm$0.51 and 2.07 $\pm$0.56 Mcal, respectively. Thus, there was a significant difference in the EE (p<0.05), but not in the DE intake between the animals of the two training groups. The EE for a given intensity of exercise was greater in the uphill training group than in the level training group, but the DE intake was not affected by the exercise intensity. The DE intake was not generally affected by the intensity of exercise in this study, but a daily negative gain of body weight was observed in the uphill training group, particularly in the females. Thus, the energy requirement may be higher in yearlings undergoing uphill training than in those undergoing level training.