摘要:The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of various rest periods during intermittent exercise with respect to blood lactate concentrations in Thoroughbred horses. Four Thoroughbred horses each underwent three types of intermittent exercise program and blood lactate concentrations during the exercise, which was carried out on a 7% inclined treadmill, were measured. The intensity of each bout was set at 116% HRmax for 50 sec. Each program comprised three bouts separated by rest periods set at either 2, 5 or 15 min. Blood lactate concentrations during the second and third bouts increased approximately 6 mmol/l in the 15-min intermittent exercise program, but almost no changes were observed during all bouts in the 5-min intermittent exercise program. By contrast, blood lactate concentrations decreased during bouts in the 2-min intermittent exercise program. It is considered that this suggests more lactate in muscles was oxidized to supply energy in the 2-min intermittent exercise program than in the other two exercise programs. It is therefore suggested that a 2-min intermittent exercise program more effectively stimulates the lactate oxidation system in Thoroughbred horses than do programs with longer rest periods.