Serum iron, ferritin, transferrin and haptoglobin concentration variations during repeated show jumping competition in horse

Modifications of the iron profile in athlete horses during two international three star (***) show jumping competitions performed in two consecutive weekends were evaluated. Serum iron, ferritin, transferrin, and haptoglobin were assessed in 12 well-trained Italian Saddle horses. Blood samplings were performed before the first day of competition (R1), within 10 min from the end of each competition (J1, J2) and on the day after competition (R2). The same plan was followed during the second weekend (J3, J4 and R3). One-way repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) was applied on obtained data, and a significant effect of exercise (P < 0.05) on all studied indices was found. These results suggest that serum iron, transferrin, ferritin and haptoglobin are responsive to intense exercise and could be considered important indicators that may give important information about the horse’s performance.