[Changes of serum enzymes, lactate and hemoglobin concentrations in the blood of young trotting horses due to training exertion].

Until the age of about 2 years, trotters normally grow up on pasture without any kind of training. In the stud farm Lindenhof (Templin, Germany), however, these first 2 years are used for a special fitness training for the young animals: 2-3 times a week, a group of the yearlings is forced to run a distance of about 1700 m on a track at an average speed of up to 10 m/s. Until now, little was known about changes of blood parameters which may occur during such special exercise. This study therefore investigated the activity of selected serum enzymes (aspartate-amino-transferase (AST), alanine-amino-transferase (ALT), gamma-glutamyl-transferase (gamma-GT), lactic dehydrogenase (LDH), alkaline phosphatase (AP), creatine kinase (CK)) and the variations of hematocrit, hemoglobin, lactate, protein, and urea concentration before and after exercise. Except for activity of AP and CK and concentration of urea, all parameters showed a distinct increase after exercise. In particular, the rise in lactic-acid concentration with values up to 23.08 mmol/l was remarkable, however, none of the parameters reached a pathological level. It is therefore concluded that exercise for young trotters over a medium distance-even at high speed-does not cause any injury of myocardium, skeletal muscles or liver cells.