Research Information System
World Equine Veterinary Association Intermediate Equine Congress, İstanbul, Turkey, 19 - 21 September 2014
Berjan DEMIRTAS
Istanbul University, Vocational School of Veterinary Medicine, 34320, Avcilar, Istanbul/ Turkey. E-mail: berjan@istanbul.edu.tr
Skeletal muscle, given its hierarchical role in locomotion has a very important role in athletic performance. Muscle histochemical and biochemical studies revealed that different muscle fibre types have different metabolic energy pathways. The relationship between recruitment of muscle fibre types and their energy pathways are the key point for exercise physiology of the skeletal muscle. Muscle fibre recruitment and the contribution of energy pathways can vary according to the intensity and duration of exercise. Equine skeletal muscle is the most adaptive tissue to the training and these physiological adaptations affect the strength, stamina and the speed of the horses. Muscle fibre types are genetically determined but adaptive transformation from one type to another is still highly debated. The aim of this review is to describe the metabolism of equine muscle fibre types, their metabolic responses to an acute bout of exercise and chronic exercise training while underlining the adaptive responses to aerobic and anaerobic exercises.
Key Words: exercise, horse, skeletal muscle fibres, muscle energetic, aerobic, anaerobic