Cardiac Biomarker Responses to Acute Exercise in Show Jumping Horses.
Authors: Fazio Francesco, Aragona Francesca, Piccione Giuseppe, Pino Carmelo, Giannetto Claudia
Journal: Journal of equine veterinary science
Summary
# Editorial Summary: Cardiac Biomarkers in Show Jumping Horses Cardiac biomarkers offer valuable insight into myocardial stress during athletic work, yet their response to jumping exercise remains poorly characterised in equine practice. Fazio and colleagues measured seven trained Italian Saddle horses at rest, immediately post-exercise, and at 30 and 60 minutes recovery following a simulated show jumping session, analysing cardiac troponin I (cTnI), myoglobin, and four other markers of cardiac and skeletal muscle activity. The most striking finding was the immediate, significant elevation of cTnI, myoglobin, and creatine phosphokinase within minutes of jumping, with dynamic correlations emerging between biomarkers throughout recovery—notably, cTnI showed positive correlation with aspartate aminotransferase but negative correlation with alanine aminotransferase, suggesting differential metabolic responses between cardiac and hepatic tissues. For practitioners involved in athletic horse management, these results indicate that cardiac troponin elevation after jumping reflects genuine physiological stress rather than pathology, establishing a baseline for understanding when biomarker changes warrant clinical concern; veterinarians may use this data to differentiate normal training-induced cardiac responses from those suggesting underlying disease, whilst coaches and farriers can appreciate the intensity of metabolic demand placed on the cardiovascular system during jumping work.
Read the full abstract on PubMed
Practical Takeaways
- •Elevated cardiac troponin after jumping exercise is a normal physiological response in healthy athletic horses and should not be interpreted as pathological cardiac damage without additional clinical signs
- •Monitor recovery patterns in show jumpers—persistent biomarker elevations may indicate inadequate conditioning or excessive training intensity
- •Baseline cardiac biomarker values in trained jumping horses will differ from resting values; establish individual athlete baselines for meaningful clinical interpretation
Key Findings
- •Cardiac troponin I (cTnI) significantly increased immediately after show jumping exercise (P < 0.01), indicating acute cardiac muscle response
- •Myoglobin and creatine phosphokinase also elevated post-exercise (P < 0.01 and P < 0.005 respectively), demonstrating combined cardiac and skeletal muscle involvement
- •Multiple positive correlations observed between biomarkers post-exercise (cTnI-AST, AST-LDH) suggesting coordinated metabolic and muscular stress response
- •Biomarker elevations persisted through 60-minute recovery period, indicating prolonged physiological response to acute jumping exercise