SUMMARY
Changes in clotting time (ct) and fibrinolytic actvity (fa) were evaluated in 6 mature, female horses during exercise. Two trials were performed on consecutive days, using a randomized crossover design. Each mare was assigned to either an exercise trial or a control trial on the first day, and to the alternate trial 24 hours later. Mares exercised for 20 minutes on a treadmill at an elevation of 2° and a velocity of 5 m/s. Venous blood samples were collected immediately before exercise, at 4, 8, 12, 16, and 20 minutes during exercise, and 15 minutes after cessation of exercise. Blood was placed into plain glass tubes for determination of CT, and into chilled, citrated tubes for determination of FA, plasminogen/plasmin complex activity (plg), one-stage prothrombin time (ospt), activated partial thromboplastin time (aptt), and antithrombin-III (at-III) activity. There were significant differences (P < 0.05) between the control and exercise groups for ct, fa, and plg. During exercise, clotting time decreased from 21.5 ± 1.6 minutes to 9.9 ± 1.6 minutes (mean ± sd; P < 0.05), without significant changes in ospt, aptt, or at-III. Fibrinolytic activity and plg increased (P < 0.05) during exercise. Changes in ct, fa, and plg were significant at 4 minutes of exercise, remained altered until the end of exercise, and returned to baseline values by 45 minutes of recovery. Clotting time, ospt, aptt, fa, at-III, and plg did not change (P > 0.05) during control trials.
