Effects of two tame systems on physiological parameters of Arab horses subjected to load in the trailer

Abstract: Some blood and physiological parameters were evaluated in Arab horses tested to load in the trailer, using horses coming from two types of tame: traditional and natural of Pat Parelli. The experiment was perfomed on 15 horses, aged 4-6 years, subdivided into two groups, one, traditional tame, composed of 9 subjects, the other one, natural tame, of 6 subjects. Each horse of both groups got on a trailer in order to evaluate the effects of two methods of tame, through the difficulties encountered by operators in loading operations on vehicle, on some blood (glucose, cholesterol tot, HDL cholesterol, triglycerides, NEFA, ALT, AST, CPK, creatinine, total protein, albumin, urea, ROM's, sodium, potassium, cortisol, beta endorphins and blood count) and physiological parameters such as rectal temperature, heart rate and respiratory frequency. Five blood samples (P) were taken by horses of each group: P-1 on animal at rest (baseline), P-2 before 15 min. loading in the trailer, P. just after loading in the trailer, P-4 and P-5 at 45 and 90 min. after loading in the trailer respectively. The results showed, in the subjects of traditional tame, significant changes of some blood parameters from first to third sample made after the load on the trailer for glucose, NEFA, ROM's, cortisol, RBC and HGB (P <0.01) and the HCT and respiratory frequency (P <0.05); in horses of natural tame the differences have been in glucose and ROM's (P <0.01). In the next two samples (fourth and fifth) most parameters investigated are returned to their baseline values. In the comparison between mean values of blood parameters, differences significantly higher (P <0.01) have been in subjects of traditional tame than those of natural tame in ROM's, cortisol, RBC, HGB, HCT and the respiratory frequency, except for potassium (P<0.05) and MCHC (P<0.01) whose values were statistically higher in natural tame.