Effects of wearable therapies on jump performance in sport horses.
Abstract: Failure to properly prepare the equine athlete for exercise and support post-exercise recovery is a contributing factor to physical breakdown and lameness. Equine physiotherapy was not introduced until the early twentieth century and has since evolved to allow for wearable therapies such as therapeutic boots to be accessible to a broad spectrum of equestrians. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of ceramic boots, boots combining vibration and cryotherapy, and boots containing tourmaline on the performance of sport horses during jumping as well as to examine changes in vital signs in response to treatment. Unassigned: Eight healthy horses received the 3 therapeutic boot treatments or a control (no boot) in a Latin square experiment for a period of 5 days each. Horses performed approximately 10 min of exercise through a jump chute for the 5 consecutive days and jump performance parameters were recorded during each exercise session. Therapeutics were applied in the morning prior to exercise per the manufacturer's recommendation and were removed only for exercise. Unassigned: In a Bayesian network analysis, changes in vital signs (heart rate, respiration, and temperature) were driven by individual animal, rather than boot treatment. Jump performance was influenced by boot treatment, physiological measurements, and individual animal. Therapeutic boots were associated with changes in conditional probabilities of numerous performance outcomes. This study indicates the use of wearable therapies may result in improved performance outcomes of sport horses in jumping exercises.
Copyright © 2023 Schmidt, Gleason, Samaniego and White.
Publication Date: 2023-09-26 PubMed ID: 37822954PubMed Central: PMC10562572DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2023.1235932Google Scholar: Lookup
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Summary
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The research article evaluates the effects of different types of therapeutic boots on the performance of sport horses during jumping exercises and examines changes in vital signs in response to these boots. The study suggests that utilizing these wearable therapies can yield improved performance outcomes.
Research Methodology
- Eight healthy horses were used in this study and each horse was subjected to three different therapies: ceramic boots, boots with vibration and cryotherapy, and boots containing tourmaline.
- The experiment followed a Latin square design where each horse received all treatments in a balanced way to reduce bias. The treatments were applied for five consecutive days each.
- Prior to exercise, recommended by the manufacturer, therapeutic boots were applied in the morning and they were removed only for exercises.
- The exercise regimen consisted of approximately 10 minutes of exercise through a jump chute.
- During each exercise session, jump performance parameters were recorded for assessment of the results.
Findings
- The analysis discovered that changes in vital signs such as heart rate, respiration, and temperature were more related to the individual animal rather than the treatment with therapeutic boots.
- The performance in jumping was found to be influenced not only by the boot treatment but also by the physiological measurements and the individual characteristics of the horses.
- The use of therapeutic boots was related to changes in conditional probabilities of several performance outcomes, indicating a potential influence of these wearable therapies on the jump performance of sport horses.
Conclusion
- This study provides important insight into the effectiveness of various therapeutic boots in enhancing the performance of sport horses in jumping exercises.
- While the changes in vital signs were dictated more by individual factors, the research found that the boot treatments did play a significant role in the jump performance.
- The results suggest that wearable therapies could be a practical strategy to improve performance outcomes for horse athletes in jumping exercises, thereby potentially reducing the risk of physical deterioration and lameness.
Cite This Article
APA
Schmidt TE, Gleason CB, Samaniego MR, White RR.
(2023).
Effects of wearable therapies on jump performance in sport horses.
Front Vet Sci, 10, 1235932.
https://doi.org/10.3389/fvets.2023.1235932 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- School of Animal Sciences, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, United States.
- School of Animal Sciences, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, United States.
- School of Animal Sciences, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, United States.
- School of Animal Sciences, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, United States.
Conflict of Interest Statement
The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.
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