Variability of electrophoretic protein profile in Quarter Horses during reining trials

The aim of this study was to assess the effect of a reining session on serum total protein and their fractions. In the present study, eight Quarter Horses aged 5-15years were subjected to reining pattern 5 of the National Reining Horse Association (NRHA). Blood samples were collected from each animal before (T0), immediately after the pattern (T1), after 1h (T2), 2h (T3) and 24h (T4), during the recovery period. On all samples serum total proteins (TP), albumin (Alb), α1-globulins, α2-globulins, β1-globulins, β2-globulins and γ-globulins concentrations, and albumin/globulin ratio (A/G) were assessed. One way repeated measure analysis of variance (ANOVA) showed the statistical significant effect of time on TP and Alb. The application of Bonferroni’s post-hoc comparison showed a statistical significant increase in TP values at T1 compared to T0. Alb concentration increased at T1 compared to T0, T2, T3 and T4. The present study shows how reining exercise affects electrophoretic parameters by increasing TP and Alb levels immediately after exercise. These results provide insight into the reining horse’s physiological response to exercise, allowing better evaluation of the athletic performance of this sport horse.