REHABBING YOUR HORSE IN LOS ANGELES

We had a client’s horse with a strain that they just could not get to rehab properly. They tried all the traditional methods—stall rest and then slowly trying to build the horse's fitness back up again—and just weren't getting anywhere, basically losing his futurity year. The EquiTread machine is an answer to a lot of these problems. We are able to put a horse into rehab and do a treatment of about 4 to 6 weeks, and we find that we've got the horse not only rehabilitated, but also in fit condition and ready to perform by the time he's done.

There are training sessions required to get your horse to work properly on the EquiTread. Generally, around 3 sessions, just depending on each animal. If requested or necessary we can use sedation provided by our client to make the horse feel more comfortable. We reassess each horse as we go, making sure that they're calm and comfortable in the tank. The water encourages lengthening of the horse’s muscles, and we are working the horses at a walk, not a trot. We want to stretch that stride out as far as we can. The speed generally tends to run about 2.5 to 3.2 mph, depending on the length of the stride that these horses can achieve. As they get stronger, we can increase the speed as we go along. As the speed of the EquiTread is set, we adjust it according to the stride of the horse. We want them moving out as far as they can really reach with those legs. We start adding the water to whatever level we'd like to achieve, hopefully working up towards the belly of the horse. There are different benefits to the different levels of the water to work different muscle groups and work on injury sites.

Once we get the horse at the level that we would like to have him working in, several things happen. You start noticing that the EquiTread's treadmill forces the horse's legs to move evenly. The stride starts to become balanced. You'll see this on horses that haven't had an injury; in their short stride, as the treadmill starts to drag that leg into position. We've noticed as we're working with horses that sometimes we have one that has difficulties being balanced, and you see it when their hip might bump into a wall or shoulder might drop into a wall. The EquiTread starts balancing that horse's gait out and ensuring that the muscles are going to develop equally on both sides of the horse's body.

With the horse working in this height of water, we are reducing the weight-bearing 40 to 60%, reducing the impact on the limbs. We're causing soft tissue mobilization, joint decompression, and reducing the friction between the articulating joints. The hydrostatic pressure—the water wrapping around the horse's leg—is assisting blood flow, reducing swelling, and encouraging healing. So we've got a lot of benefits going on right now. We've got reduced recovery time by 50 to 60%, which is huge for anyone in competition. You're looking at a horse coming out of the tank not only completely rehabbed from whatever the injury was, but ready and fit for competition. Most times these horses are in better condition when they come out of the tank than when they started. The EquiTread improves the performance of a horse by promoting proper posture and a balanced gait. We've had horses reevaluated after they've done the 5 to 6 week sessions in the EquiTread, their stride is more balanced, and the muscle is equal on either side of their body. It increases cardiovascular fitness and minimizes performance injuries.

Another benefit that we've noticed by putting our client’s horses in the EquiTread is their total relaxed mental attitude. You can just see how calm they are and how relaxed they are in their workout. And so it takes away the frustration that a young horse has when it's being hand-walked or having to be stall rested. Give them a job, give them something to do, and it really, really feels good. The muscle definition really starts showing up at about the three-week period. This is after three to five sessions per week, including the loin muscle, which the water raises up underneath the belly of the horse and causes him to round his back and strengthen that loin muscle across the back, which is huge for most competitors, as it's difficult to do.

We've been really excited about everything that we can do with this machine—from ligament and muscle injuries to conditioning post-surgical cases. We're very excited to discover what the EquiTread can do for you and your horse. It's just been a wonderful experience, and we're looking forward to dealing with other horses that need some help, whether it's rehabilitation or conditioning. Our facility is in the heart of Los Angeles located in the Atwater Equestrian District, EquiTread prides itself on taking top-quality care of your horses. Our technicians are very capable and well-trained and have lots of experience. We will provide for the horse owner any extra services they need—medications, bandage wrapping, blanketing, hand walking, anything that might make you feel more comfortable about your horse staying with us. We'd like to invite anyone who would like to take a look around to call us and make an appointment. We'd be happy to give you a tour of the facilities and hope that maybe we can help you with your horse's needs, whether it's conditioning or rehabilitation, and answer any questions you might have about our EquiTread machine.