TERRIFIC TECH
Our homes and workplaces are stuffed with technology — as are our pockets. Now it’s time to let technology help us to help our horses
The innovative products helping to improve your horse’s health and wellbeing.
AS WE START the new decade, technology is gathering apace, leaping excitedly into the future and taking us all along with it. Like it or not, you can’t argue that there are some fascinating developments taking place, and none more so than in the equine world. Riding, horse care, treatment methods and preventative therapies have all been touched by the finger of technology, and it seems that this is a good thing, providing us with a new way of being horse owners — a more researched, objective way.
There’s never been a better time to ensure our horses are well cared for, so we’ve taken a wander down the technology highway to look at some of the most interesting and useful developments now available.
Good vibrations
A very exciting innovation in the horse world has been the increased use of vibration in various guises to provide preventative measures and therapy to any area of the body. State-of-the-art equine floors or plates show promising results and your horse needs to do nothing more than stand on the plate for a pre-set time or a pre-set programme. The list of things the plates can help with is long and includes reducing injuries, increasing hoof growth, for pre-warm ups and post-cool downs, maintaining muscle mass, relaxation, pain relief, reducing swelling and increasing bone density. The plates have support from vets, trainers and rehabilitation specialists and
although they’re expensive, payment deals are available — or you can rent one.
We’ve been hearing good things about these two plates:
The THERAPLATE (RRP £7,995 + VAT) uses vortex wave circulation stimulation therapy to help prevent injuries and speed up recovery time in horses (as well as in humans, dogs and other animals). It can be used either as part of your horse’s daily routine, or as and when needed during periods of box rest or recovery.
Your horse stands on the plate while the vortex wave circulation stimulation therapy gently causes the muscles to contract and relax, increasing blood flow around the body without him needing to do anything strenuous.
The plate doesn’t vibrate as such (it gently hums) so most horses have no objections and it provides a relaxing and calming environment for therapy. The TheraPlate comes complete with a protocol app which is used to determine the session time required to meet your horse’s needs.
The FMBS COMBI FLOOR (RRP £5,350 + VAT) combines controlled vibration with pulsed electromagnetic therapy. It can also be purchased with integral weigh scales, stocks and a solarium. The floor can be used for a number of different situations: for example, before your warm up and after your cool down, for recovery and rehabilitation, or even while you carry out tasks like plaiting and clipping — your horse won’t even notice that he’s having therapy at the same time. The pulsed electromagnetic field therapy works on cellular repair and is an important addition to the vibration within the floor. Many users find the weighbridge option is a useful way to bring the latest scientific advances into feeding and fitness.
“Riding, horse care, treatment methods and preventative therapies have all been touched by the finger of technology, and it seems that this is a good thing, providing us with a new way of being horse owners”