INTRODUCTION human athlete • 100 meter sprints • 100 km ultramarathon top speeds human sprinters • 22 mph ultramarathon • 10mph • up to 100 km equine athlete • Thoroughbreds 1000-3000 m • endurance horses 80-160 km (50-100 miles) • Quarter Horses over 400 m tracks top speed 44 mph racing dogs • greyhound 250 m sprints to long distance races of 600-1000 m 37 mph during races up to500 m • husky Iditarod (Fairbanks to Nome) 1049 miles in 12-14 days racing camel • 4-10 km • 22 mph Comparison of Organs, % of Body Weight 2 1.8 1.6 1.4 1.2 1 0.8 0.6 0.4 0.2 0 Horse Dog Man Spleen Brain Heart Lungs Comparison of Organs, % of Body Weight 3 2.5 2 Horse Dog Man 1.5 1 0.5 0 Liver Kidney Comparison of Organs, % of Body Weight 60 50 40 Horse Dog Man 30 20 10 0 Muscle Muscle Fiber Composition human athlete • sprinters type II 75% • endurance type I > 75% Thoroughbred racehorse • sprinters type II > 80% • endurance type I ~ 30% Athletic Ability genetics environment • • • • athletic nutrition track surfaces shoes jockey training • training methodology Mechanics Hemoglobin concentration Gas exchange ATHLETIC PREFORMANCE Anaerobic capacity Heart size Skeletal muscle properties Techniques for Research of the Athletic Species treadmill respiratory gas analysis heart rate blood samples muscle biopsies Form and Function built to cover terrain quickly and easily efficiently refuel with relatively low-energy food sources body structure and shape conducive to carrying man • natural saddle over center of mass: rider and mount are in balance • rider can easily influence motion of horse by shifting their weight center of mass high off ground; horse can lose balance if not in tune with the rider long neck for easy grazing; head for balance of weight • head and neck provide steering for rider • horse typically follows its head gallop: rocking horse motion • requires less energy • little motion for the rider horse can speed over a distance to outrun predators • • • • • • can attain top speed in a short period of time (7-10 sec) can run 2 times as fast as a human stride can be 4 times the length of its body legs are not to long they will interfere legs operate like springs due to tendons and ligaments large body mass hinders sudden movements for the rider hoof • replaces itself continuously in response to demand • hoof wall is hard - resistant to injury • structurally provides easy attachment of a shoe for further protection nervous system has self-protective responses Magnificent Machinery endurance level to outlast predators due to aerobic capacity respiratory system has superior ability to deliver O2 to muscles breathing directly correlates to stride frequency heart rate 30-40 bpm to 240 bpm spleen provides more RBC (hemoglobin) to carry O2 to muscles; initiated by epinephrine due to excitement or exercise horse is more effective at recycling lactic acid than man efficient cooling system due to sweat and respiration Behavior Herd instinct - mentally better to work with • safety in numbers • willing to follow the leader of the herd (person) Dysfunction digestive system • developed to graze continuously, not “stable” life lungs • have primitive internal structure • have only a few “sentinel cells” to defend against foreign invaders joints • force on limbs - bone can adapt, but cartilage is not as resilient • lower legs have not muscle “fine line” between conditioning and breakdown back • stronger than most animals, but still need a saddle for extended use instinct • horse may shy and bolt due to natural instincts