2003 年 14 巻 3 号 p. 93-96
We investigated whether gender and racing performance of Thoroughbred racehorses affected the relationship between the heart rate and running speed. Twenty well-trained Thoroughbred racehorses, 7 “open” horses (3 males and 4 females) and 13 “non-open” horses (3 males and 10 females), in JRA Ritto Training Center were used in this study. When the horses cantered around the 500 m circular dirt course at submaximal speed, lap times were measured to calculate mean running speed. Heart rates of the horses were recorded on heart rate monitors during exercise. There was a significant difference in the heart rates between male and female horses (p<0.05). On racing performance, there was a tendency for heart rates to be lower in “open” horses (p=0.11). These results suggest that the aerobic capacity of male horses may be higher.
