Question:

Hi my name is KC and I'm 12 years old.

My question is do supplements increase the heart rate of a horse at the walk, trot, canter, and gallop then a horse not on supplements?

Thank you very much,

KC

Answer:

Hi KC,

As far as I know there are no supplements that will increase the horse's heart rate. But you actually don't want the heart rate to get too high, because that would be dangerous. What you want is a system that is efficient in delivering oxygen to the organs that need it during exercise. So you want the blood to be capable of carrying a lot of oxygen. And you want a quick recovery after exercise where the horse's heart rate quickly returns to normal and lactic acid levels in the blood (which cause stiffness) are minimised (especially in events like endurance racing where the horse has to continue exercise after a rest). All of these things willl improve with the fitness of the horse. So fitness is of paramount importance.

The role that supplements can play in this, is to optimise the oxygen carrying capacity of the blood (eg. folic acid is involved in the synthesis of haemoglobin, the oxygen-carrying molecule in the blood) and to decrease recovery time (several supplements, eg. thiamine, vitamin E, vitamin B12 help to decrease lactic acid levels, hense decreasing stiffness and fatigue).

I hope this helps you. If I can help in any other way, please let me know.

Beryl