Examination during treadmill exercise allow us to evaluate your horse while trotting, pacing, or galloping. Our sports medicine team can assess multiple body systems such as the heart, upper airway, lungs, and the musculoskeletal system while the horse is running on the treadmill.
Our high-speed treadmill can reach speeds of up to 45 miles per hour, which makes it ideal for evaluating racehorses. It can be used for sport horses, draft horses, and ponies—any horse that needs assessment while exercising. Various equipment can be applied to the horse while exercising on the treadmill so that multiple body systems can be evaluated at one time. Treadmill evaluation can be completed on an outpatient basis and the typical appointment lasts 5-8 hours. Laboratory data may require several days for complete results.

What Treadmill Testing Includes
• Exercising upper airway endoscopy
• Exercising electrocardiogram (ECG), to measure heart rate and rhythm
• Echocardiogram, an ultrasound of the heart
• Arterial blood gas analysis
• Bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL), fluid analysis from the lungs
• Electrolyte, muscle enzyme, and lactate analysis
Horses should be sound and fit, preferably training at the level during which the performance problem(s) occurs. To exercise on the treadmill, horses must be shod with four flat shoes (no toe grabs, heel caulks, borium, etc.). Where appropriate, please bring your horse’s harness or other tack. Please bring details of previous examinations, imaging and treatments with you to the appointment.