On the surface, a horse moving through his paces often looks smooth and effortless. Inside that horse, however, are several body systems working tirelessly. Here, Kenneth W. Hinchcliff, BVSc, PhD, Dipl. ACVIM, a professor (honorary) in the University of Melbourne Faculty of Veterinary and Agricultural Sciences and warden of the university’s Trinity College, both in Australia, gave attendees an inside look at how horses’ bodies work during exercise and what’s needed to let the horse reach his athletic potential.

"A large number of physiologic and anatomic features act in concert to endow the horse with extraordinary athletic capacity," he said. "Optimal athletic performance is dependent upon optimal integrated functioning of these physiologic and anatomic features."

Making several comparisons between horses and cattle (a similarly sized animal with lesser athletic potential), Hinchcliff discussed several anatomic and physiologic functions in detail and explained how they contribute to achieving optimal athletic performance:

Aerobic Capacity: "The maximal aerobic capacity (VO_2max) of horses is approximately 2.6 times that of similarly sized cattle," Hinchcliff explained