The role played by the major arterial baroreceptor reflexes in the cardiovascular response to exercise was examined by comparing the responses of untethered conscious dogs instrumented for the measurement of aortic pressure and cardiac output with those of dogs with total arterial barorecptor denervation (TABD). Moderately severe levels of exercise (12 mph) in intact dogs increased cardiac output from 111 +/- 17 ml/kg per min, increased heart rate from 101 +/- 5 to 265 +/- 8 beats/min, and reduced total peripheral resistance from 0.039 +/- 0.003 to 0.015 +/- 0.002 mmHg/ml per min. Dogs with TABD responded in a very similar fashion; exercise increased cardiac output from 119 +/- 8 to 356 /+- 23 ml/kg per min, increased heart rate from 122 +/- 7 to 256 +/- 5 beats/min, and decreased total peripheral resistance from 0.042 +/- 0.005 to +/- 0.015 +/- 0.001 mmHg/ml per min. The reflex heart rate responses to intravenous bolus doses of methoxamine were also examined in intact animals, both at rest and during exercise. Methoxamine caused striking bradycardia at rest, but little bradycardia during exercise. These results suggest that the arterial baroreceptor reflex is normally turned off during severe exercise and thus does not modify significantly the cardiovascular response to exercise.