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High proportion of type I fibres in the gluteus medius muscle of young Norwegian–Swedish coldblooded trotters

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 November 2010

Carl Fredrik Ihler ,
Tobias Revold ,
Stig Larsen  and
Birgitta Essén-Gustavsson
Carl Fredrik Ihler*
Affiliation:
Department of Companion Animal Clinical Sciences, Section for Equine Medicine, Norwegian School of Veterinary Science, Post Box 8146 Dep, N-0033Oslo, Norway
Tobias Revold
Affiliation:
Department of Companion Animal Clinical Sciences, Section for Equine Medicine, Norwegian School of Veterinary Science, Post Box 8146 Dep, N-0033Oslo, Norway
Stig Larsen
Affiliation:
Department of Production Animal Clinical Sciences, Centre for Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Norwegian School of Veterinary Science, Post Box 8146 Dep, N-0033Oslo, Norway
Birgitta Essén-Gustavsson
Affiliation:
Department of Clinical Sciences, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Box 7054, SE-750 07Uppsala, Sweden
*
*Corresponding author: carl.ihler@nvh.no
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Abstract

In a previous study of young Norwegian–Swedish coldblooded trotters (NSCT), aged 17–24 months, a high proportion (>30%) of type I fibres in the gluteus medius was found in 33 of 141 horses. These findings were surprising and the purpose of the present study was to find an explanation for the high type I fibre proportion in these horses. Possible explanations might be an inaccuracy in the procedure of analysing the biopsy sample, inaccuracy in the method of sampling or a muscular disorder in these individuals. Further, the high type I fibre proportion might be age related. The accuracy of the procedure for determination of the fibre composition from a biopsy sample was tested by analysing the same biopsy sample at two different occasions in nine horses. Four of the nine horses had high type I fibre proportions on both occasions and the five others had proportions within the expected range on both occasions. The repeatability of the procedure was tested by an agreement analysis, where the agreement index (AI) is calculated. This analysis revealed an AI of 0.70, where an AI >0.5 shows a good repeatability. Eight of the nine horses were re-sampled at the age of 3 years. At this age, all horses had type I fibre proportions < 30%. The biopsy technique with an absolute depth of 4 cm might give a relatively more superficial sample of the muscle in larger horses, which may explain the age-related differences. However, in young horses, high proportions of type I fibre seemed to be found in the larger individuals. The light sedation given to the horses before sampling may also have influenced the relative sampling depth. Muscular disorders were ruled out as performances in the 3-year season did not differ between 33 horses with high type I fibre percentage and 106 horses with normal type I fibre percentage. In conclusion, the high proportion of type I fibres in some young NSCT was not caused by the analysing procedure or by muscular disorders, but is probably related to the sampling point within the muscle.

Keywords

cold-blooded trottersmuscle biopsyfibre typesrepeatability
Type
Research Paper
Information
Comparative Exercise Physiology , Volume 7 , Issue 2 , May 2010 , pp. 97 - 101
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2010

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