Horses Power Through: How Their Bodies Change During Long Races

Endurance races push horses to their limits. To understand how these animals cope, scientists looked at how their bodies change during an 80 km race. They focused on proteins in the horses' blood, which can show what's happening inside the body. The scientists took blood samples from 13 horses before and after the race. They used a special method to measure the amount of different proteins. This helped them see which proteins changed and how. The researchers found that some proteins, like apolipoprotein and haptoglobin, changed a lot. These proteins are important for energy use and fighting inflammation. The scientists checked these findings with other tests to make sure they were right. So, what does this all mean? Well, it shows that horses' bodies adapt to the stress of long races. They change how they use energy and fight inflammation. This helps them keep going, even when things get tough. But it also raises questions. How much can horses handle? And how can we help them recover better? The study didn't look at what happens after the race. That's important too. Horses need time to recover, and understanding that process could help keep them healthy. Plus, it's not just about the race. Horses need to be in good shape before they start. This study doesn't tell us much about that.