The healing of horses has had animportant place in veterinary andmedical literature throughout

history. Medieval and Renaissancetheories about equine physiology andhealth often mirrored theories abouthumans, and the literature of both wasinherently linked. Bloodletting, astrology,and ancient texts were used by bothphysicians and veterinarians to heal theirpatients, and many discoveries,including the circulation of the blood,was developed in tandem by studyinghumans and horses.

At some point, we stopped looking atcorrelations between human and equinehealth issues, and left the horse behind aswe ventured on towards finding newways and new approaches to dealingwith our own physical issues. Thankfully,that is now changing, and the horse isbecoming the beneficiary of all that wehave learned about healing ourselves.After all, we have been “scopeing” ourknees for many years before we starteddoing it to horses!

We now know that surgery is only asgood as the physical rehabilitationafterwards, but in many medical circlesthere is still a disconnect between surgeryand rehabilitation.

Veterinary medicine has changeddramatically in the past 20 years, forbetter or worse. Horses can be put backtogether surgically, but for the most partare destined to be pasture pets, unable tocontinue athletically as they were before.It’s time to start thinking past thispractice, and take advantage of the newtechnologies and the new ideas inregards to equine rehabilitation.

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Geoff Young

HEALING HORSES– What Works For Us, Works For Them.

wounds and areas of infection nowhave new cells to increase circulationand supply life saving oxygen andantibiotics.

KESMARC has treated many“bleeders” with HBOT and had greatsuccess with upper airway problems.“The body healing itself- what aconcept,” laughs Kirsten. “Helping thebody heal itself, that’s what we do.”

KESMARC is also employing avibrating platform therapy for bonedensity and fast twitch muscleconditioning. There is good possibility oftreating laminitis by increasing bonedensity with vibrations. It could also beused to help stall-bound horses keepmuscle tone and to stimulate circulationwithout having to get them moving.

“It starts with owners and trainersdemanding a different type of medicine,”says Kirsten. “People are starving fornew and different information and that’s exciting!”

As the field of equine rehabilitationexpands, personnel will need to beeducated and trained to meet the

demands of the new rehab technologies.One of the top colleges in equine studiesis stepping to the forefront to meet these needs.

New York’s Morrisville State Collegeis planning to build a new state of the artequine rehabilitation center. In June of2001, USA Today described theMorrisville State College Equine Instituteas being home to the most diversifiedequine studies program in the nation.The MSC Equine Institute offers optionsat the Associates and Bachelor ofTechnology level in five separate areas:equine breeding, English and Westerntraining and equitation, and pleasuredriving and racing( Standardbreds andThoroughbreds).

The 270 students majoring in EquineScience at MSC have varied objectives;many intend to pursue a career in someaspect of the horse industry, while othersmay take technical courses from relatedareas of study to expand their employmentopportunities. And with the completion ofthe rehabilitation center, careers in equinerehabilitation will be created.

James Hastie, former Director ofCommunications for USET, and now thetechnical director spearheading theMorrisville College Foundation (MCF)Equine Rehabilitation and PhysiologyCenter, sees this as the final piece of acomplex equine puzzle.

“We want to be the first school to offera full degree in equine rehabilitation,” heexplained. “With our partners at Cornell,we want to model the facility afterKESMARC, with the focus on gettingsporthorses back into competition. And ifwe can’t, help the horse transition to asecondary career.”

Founded in 1908, this college ofagriculture and technology is well-suitedto provide horse owners across the Northeast with affordable andconvenient access to the latest aquaticand hyperbaric equine rehabilitation andstrength conditioning therapies. To thatend, MCF is currently seeking $5,000,000to expand its existing 302-student/400-horse operation and develop the nation'sfirst baccalaureate of science degree inequine rehabilitation and physiology.

This program will be a big stepforward in meeting the industry’s needs.Hastie adds, “We tend to get studentswho really want to learn the equinebusiness, and that can only reap benefitsin the future.” If you’d like to contributeto the MCF Equine Rehabilitation Centergo to www.morrisville.edu

The Frontera Aquatread and RehabCenter is next to the Sunland Parkracetrack in New Mexico, and offers manyalternative therapies in regards to horserehab. “We address emotional as well asphysical issues,” said Jon Hestar, one ofthe “healers” on staff at Frontera.Utilizing a team of professionals in manydifferent areas, this facility offers a widevariety of traditional, proven modalities aswell as alternative and holistic remedies.

In addition to Aquatread therapy,Frontera uses herbal healing, sportsmassage, a corrective farrier, and even ananimal communicator. “We don’t ignoreany option,’ said Hester. “Some of thesealternative cures have been around for100 years. There has got to be somethingto them,” said Hester. “We try to get tothe foundation of an injury, and that cantake many avenues.”

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A New ApproachKirsten and Hub Johnson started

work with equine rehabilitation 20 yearsago in Texas. Five years ago they movedto Versailles, KY, just outside ofLexington, and opened KESMARC, aworld-class equine sports medicinefacility, dedicated to the recovery andconditioning of high-end equine athletes.

“KESMARC is the gray area betweeninjury and return to training,” explainedKirsten. “We saw equine athletes thatdidn’t return but should have. Aftersurgery, the vet would prescribe handwalking and turnout and those were theonly options. We have returned a horseback to run in a graded stakes race whenthe vet said there’s no way he’d evercome back.”

For people like Kirsten, there had to beanother way. “We’re an evolution inprogress,” she says. “There is no cookiecutter approach to rehab. The same injuryrequires different rehabilitation dependingon the discipline and the temperament ofthe horse. It’s complex and we take it veryseriously. We don’t practice medicine butwe know when good medicine is beingpracticed. We know what we do, but moreimportantly, we know what we don’t do-we’re not trainers.”

What Kirsten and her trained staff doat KESMARC is utilize the latest in rehabtechnology. While they offer manytreatments, the hyperbaric oxygentherapy is groundbreaking.

HBOT is a revolutionary medicaltechnology useful for treating acuteinjuries as well as enhancing the healingof chronic disorders. Already, clinicalexperience has shown that HBOT can besuccessfully applied to many of thesame conditions in the horse as isapplied in human medicine. Here’s howit works. Oxygen in the blood isdramatically increased when breathingoxygen at two or more atmospheres ofpressure (as opposed to our normalatmospheric pressure of one ATA(atmospheres absolute). Increasing theatmospheric pressure in the chamberduring a treatment increases thesolubility of oxygen into the body. Thisprocess allows oxygen to enter plasmaand tissues more readily and promotesthe formation of new cells, thus furtherenhancing oxygen availability. Ischemic

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The equine therapy pool at KESMARC

Phot

o by

Joy

B. G

ilber

t

KESMARC uses hyperbaric oxygen therapy with good results.

This horse is working out in the Aquatred at KESMARC

Phot

o by

Joy

B. G

ilber

t

“At the WEG trials, Nona Garson’shorse, Languster, made it through sixgrand prix in four days using the spatreatment before and after each class. Thespa keeps cold in the legs for up to fourhours and feels so good to the horse,’Donna explained. She added, “With thespa, you can rehabilitate your horse athome. How about no more vet visits!”she laughed.

Serenity Equine is a hospital inVirginia that is doing post-surgicalrehabilitation therapy using sequentialcryo-compression and proper digitalrealignment. Sequential cryo-compression

involves the use of a triple segment sleevethat inflates with cold liquid sequentiallyfrom distal to proximal around an injuredjoint or limb. This chilled waterpressurizes the sleeve during treatmentand comfortably lowers the tissuetemperature. This modality combines cold(to slow down or minimize acuteinflammation reactions) and sequentialcompression (to reduce edema and post-traumatic swelling by increasinglymphatic drainage.)

Andrea E. Floyd, DVM, performssurgery and correction from the hockdown at Serenity Equine. “We have had

great success with the cryo-compressionand digital realignment in conjunctionwith massage and final rehabilitation onthe Euroxciser, a horse exerciser.”

As with humans, getting movingafter surgery is vital towards recovery. “Iprefer to start the horses moving just assoon as they are comfortable enough todo so,’ said Floyd. “I also believe stronglyin stopping all post-surgical edema andinflammation as it leads to adhesions andscarring within the tissues that may beirreversible. I see no difference in therehabilitation process between humanand equine athletes.”

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The New FrontierHumans have used many of the new

therapies available to horses successfullyfor years. And research is showing thatthese therapies can promote healing andprevent injury as never seen before.

Cold-water hydrotherapy has beenused for quite sometime in Europe, but isjust now catching on here in the US.

It takes a horseman to understandhorses, and Donna D Marki ofTherapeutic Advantage is a big believerin cold-water hydrotherapy. Donna, alifelong equestrian who has trained withGeorge Morris and currently with ChrisKappler, knows all about physical issuesin horses. She and her husbandmanufacture a stainless steel spa on theirfarm in Bedminster, NJ. It took a trip toEngland to discover this healingmachine. “We brought one of the spasover and used it on my grand prix horsewho had a suspensory injury,’ saidDonna. “The horse healed beautifully-wecouldn’t even find the injury! The horse isnow doing dressage.”

The theory behind cold waterhydrotherapy is this: Ice water is between45-50 degrees, whereas the water in thespa is chilled to 35 degrees. Epsom salt isadded to the water to draw out heat andsea salt is added to increase density of thewater. The depth of the water providespressure on an injury and no othertherapy can get the leg that cold. Theoxygen content of water at 80 degreeswith aeration is four parts per million. At60 degrees it still remains four parts permillion. However, when the water isbetween 35 and 40 degrees, the oxygencontent triples to 12 parts per million. Theskin absorbs oxygen from the waterincreasing the oxygen content of theblood and the tissue and that promotesthe healing process.

Swollen legs return to normal sizeafter a spa treatment, which only lasts tenminutes. Pain from injury is numbed outwithin minutes, and the rush of bloodcirculation after leaving the spa provides important components to thehealing process.

Several grand prix riders have used theTherapeutic Advantage spa including IanMiller and John Pearce. It can provide totalpreventative therapy if you use it beforeyou work your horse as well as after.

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Darren Chiacchia's eventing horse in the spa at Fair Hill, a 3-star in Maryland.

This is Robert Smith's horse Gerry Maguire, who has won numerous Grand Prix's.This horse was in the Therapeutic Advantage spa continually throughout thewhole WEF, for preventative reasons.

The horse’s legs are submerged in 35 degree salt water for a quick ten minute treatment.

allowing nutrients to move back andforth through the cell walls promotinghealing. Injuries prevent this nutrientmovement through the cells.”

Respond Systems have developed aproduct called the Iron Foot. It is apulsating magnetic pad that the horsestands on, sending magnetic fields all theway up to the hock. The battery-poweredpad is mobile and is an excellent therapyfor the working sporthorse.

Laser and magnetic therapies havebeen around since the 70’s in Europe, andhave proven to be an effective andpainless treatment.

Top riders such as Leslie BurrHoward, Anne Kursinski, and CarolLavell have used laser and magnetictherapy as a routine course of treatmentfor their horses.

A New TomorrowThe advances in technology have and

will continue to shape and define the waywe treat our horses. The therapiesmentioned have been proven to aid inrecovery and healing; however, the bestuse of these technologies may be inpreventing injury altogether.

Jami Jensen, owner of Crooked WillowFarms, has used treadmills and theAquapacer in a preventative rehabilitationprogram for her horses. From her amateurhorses to her grand prix jumpers, Jensenhas found the benefits of preventativetreatment to be tremendous.

Matt Davis, operations manager atCrooked Willow Farms, says, “Jami’shorses are in the most unbelievable shapeI’ve ever seen.”

Using the Aquapacer, one of severalmodels of underwater treadmills that

conditions without impact, Jensen’shorses are put into a conditioningprogram that involves three days a weekin the water, then work on the treadmilland then an exerciser.

“The horses can really build theirtopline and hind end in the water. Theyput their butt down and really push offon the treadmill.” Davis continued, “Theincidents of injury and lameness in ourgrand prix horses have gone way down.Vet bills for lameness issues are a fractionof what they used to be.”

“This time of year we back off theriding and turn up the conditioning,” saidDavis. “Ten to fifteen minutes in the poolreally loosens up their backs, especiallyour stallions during breeding season. Theycan get sore backs and hips from an activebreeding season and this helps themrecover quickly and efficiently.”

As with humans, horses havebenefited greatly from the advancementin human rehabilitation technology.Using the technology in a preventativecourse of therapy may indeed be the bestway to protect the horse from injury, but,being horses there will always be physicalissues in the equine athlete. But unlikeseveral years ago, those issues don’tnecessarily mean the end of a career.

As Kirsten Johnson from KESMARCput it, “I don’t think there’s a horse thatever wakes up in the morning that doesn’twant to do their job.” And with the expanding revolution of horserehabilitation, they will be able to continueto do their job, as long as we continue todo ours in regards to them.

For additional information:

KESMARC www.kesmarc.com

Morrisville State Collegewww.morrisville.edu

Frontera Aquatread & Rehab Centerwww.nmhorsehealers.com

Theraputic Advantage Spawww.therapeuticadvantage.com

Serenity Equine www.serenityequine.com

Focus IT www.eswt.net

Respond Systems Inc.www.respondsystems.com

Crooked Willow Farmswww.crookedwillowfarms.com

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Focus-IT, LLC is the distributor forSwiss-based Storz Medical AGshockwave equipment which theydeveloped. Shockwave therapybegan with effects seen when lithotripsy(the fragmentation of a stone in theurinary system) was given to patientsyears ago. It is a technology that has beenimproved upon over several years.

There are two kinds of shock wavetherapy methods: focus and radial. Bothtreat the same indications and both arenon-invasive therapies done outside ofthe body (extracorporeal - hence thename "extracorporeal shockwavetherapy" or ESWT). Storz Medicalequipment uses the electromagneticprinciple to generate the focused shockwave. Focus IT has both focus shockwave and radial shock wave machines.

Radial shock waves are pneumaticallygenerated and do not "focus" in one smallpoint like focused shock waves do, insteadthey "radiate" out and cover a larger area,but do not go as deep as a focus shockwave does.

Jessica L. Streib of Focus IT explainsthe benefits of shockwave therapy.“Shock wave therapy has been found tobe a wonderful alternative to surgery dueto it being non-invasive, not painful,doesn't require anesthesia, treatments arequick and outpatient. Shock wavetherapy is beneficial in treating tendon,ligament, bone, joint, muscle, tissueinjuries or pain in these areas.”

Streib continues, “It has been foundthat when the shock waves enter thebody, biological effects occur causingimproved blood supply to the area whichcauses the body to essentially heal itself.The shock waves stimulate tendon andbone repair as well as tissue regenerationthus relieving pain in the area.”

Who would have imagined thattreatment for gallstones and kidney stoneswould end up benefiting injured horses?

Respond Systems, Inc. manufactureslaser therapy and magnetic therapysystems useful for treating soft tissueinjuries and for relief of pain caused byinjury, arthritis, and other degenerativediseases found in dogs, cats, and horses.

Doreen Hudson of Respond Systemsexplains the healing effects of magnetictherapy. “Pulsing magnetic fields affectbone and tissue at a cellular level

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Stefan Peters and Floriano who is wearing Respond System’spulsating magnetic horse sheet

The Iron Foot pulsating magnetic platform.

Shockwave therapy is applied with a radial hand piece

The focused hand piece sends shockwaves to a specific part of the body.