Performance Horse Therapy
by Gail Ledbetter, first published in the Montana Horseman's Journal
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As horse people, we've all been there. At some point in time you notice your barrel horse
runs past his pocket, your eventing horse seems to lack his normal luster, your cutting horse
moves great one way but scotches the other. There's no obvious lameness, it's not easy to
spot the cause, but it's there and it's definitely a problem. So, what do we do about it? In the past, our options have been fairly limited to what our vet has to offer. But in the last 20 years or so, a multitude of different therapies have been developed or resurrected and are making their ways, slowly at first but then with growing speed, into the horse market. Stop at any barrel race and ask someone what they do to keep their horses sound, and you'll get a wide variety of answers. Massage, magnetic, and chiropractic therapies, Applied Kiniesiology, Accupuncture, and more are widely used. In the mid 90s, Bio-Scan was the new kid on the block with pulsating lights that help promote healing. Even more recently, the new technology of Performance Horse Therapy, utilizing the Pain-X-2000 lights, has made a quiet splash in the ever-changing horse world. My own experiences are now going to be called to task to explore this avenue of treatment. After being diagnosed with bone spurs and calcium deposits from an injury in the summer of 2001, my eight year old Quarter Horse gelding was retired from barrel racing and delegated to the status of trail horse. He was put on a glucosamine/chondroitan supplement and leased out the summer of 2002 to some good friends. That lasted until late July, when he decided his new pasture mate was a chew toy. Back home again, we wondered why he'd turned into such a bully and what we were going to do with him. It didn't take too long to draw a conclusion from his behavior and his retirement. At 9 years old, he did not want to be retired. He wanted to run barrels. But could he, safely? If I ran him now, would he be a stumbling cripple his teen years? After an internet search and some phone calls to barrel racing friends, I decided to contact Kathy Sutton of Joliet, Mt. A veteran barrel racer and team penner, Kathy spends roughly 10-11 months of the year traveling to horse events far and wide, providing treatment and whole horse care. She is one of the first Equine therapists in the state, and her experience in the last 5 years includes working the NBHA Worlds, American West 4D Finals in Reno, the USTRC finals, High School Rodeo, and barrel racing legend Martha Josey. Performance Horse Therapy involves utilizing the healing glow of multiple spectrums of light, a gentle, hands on touch and some basic stretches. Kathy's knowledge of the muscular and skeletal framework, along with her intuitive knack for picking up on subtle clues, helps her diagnose problem areas for her equine clients. We met one damp and chilly September morning in Lewistown for her to work on my gelding, Chili. Polychromatic infrared diode therapy, or light therapy, has shown itself to be beneficial in treating a variety of problems, from sore muscles to wounds. Visible and infrared light have been shown to produce positive effects at a cellular level. It can increase vascularity (circulation), stimulate the production of collagen, a protein needed in the repair of damaged tissue, stimulate the healing process of wounds, activate acupuncture points, relax muscles and relieve pain from many symptoms, including arthritis. The Pain-X-2000 offers a non-thermal, non-destructive deep tissue delivery vehicle for healing, and it's the only one on the market that has FDA approval for human use as well. The first thing Kathy did with Chili was run her hands over him, searching for a reaction. Twitches, head bobbing, flattened ears, and movement away from her hands all indicated problem areas. Next, she ran the lights over his body, starting at his neck and working down the muscle groups, staying 5-15 seconds at each spot. Chili's initial reaction to the lights was to move away from the tingling sensation they produced, but at no time did he react violently, by striking or biting, as some horses with severe problems might do. After the light treatment, Kathy utilized some simple stretches for some of the big muscle groups. Chili's relief was easy to see as he took deep breaths, dropped his head and licked and chewed. She also applied the lights to his knees and other joints in an effort to alleviate some of the pain from arthritis. Kathy's basic philosophy in the treatment of horses is not to utilize so called "alternative therapies" but to apply adjunct therapies, or therapies that work in tandem with each other. Each horse must be evaluated on their own merits. By working with different modalities like massage, chiropractic, light therapy and regular veterinary, the horse owner can work to keep their horse in optimum condition and health. This includes making sure the shoeing job is done right, the saddle fits the horse, the feed is in direct proportion to the horse's activity and that basic hygiene is followed. In geldings, this means frequent sheath cleaning is necessary, one of Kathy's pet peeves. Chili, she said, was getting odiforous. I made a note to schedule a sheath cleaning soon. The idea is to not treat just one spot, but to treat the whole horse. Knowing the specific mineral and protein content of the hay you feed and what minerals the land you graze lacks are very basic and important points to remember in feeding your horse. By working closely with your vet, a sound feeding program will increase your horse's overall health and performance. It's important to remember that excess protein can create a calcium deficiency. Too much protein, especially on a horse that's not working hard and competing, can create a multitude of health problems. Know your horse by feel. Use your hands daily to rub him down, know every lump and bump and curve, be familiar with what's normal and be prepared to deal with what's not. Let your horse be a horse as often as you can, turn him out to play with his equine buddies and relax. Diversify your activities as much as feasibly possible. My barrel horses get monthly dressage lessons, which benefit them and myself. We also work cows whenever possible, take long trail rides and even do an open horse show once a year. After his treatment, I saddled Chili for a ride. Kathy directed me to warm up gently, asking him for simple transitions in gait and some flexing, bending and lateral movements. The idea was to use all the muscles to get them working properly and see what changes had been made. The first thing I noticed was that short little Chili's trot was easier to sit. His lope was smoother, less chargy, and his tendency to drop the inside shoulder in the right lead was gone. His transitions were soft and his lateral movements were achieved with less fuss. His only problem was a stiffness when asked to flex to the right, something Kathy attributed to muscle memory. Overall, his movement and willingness after treatment were significantly better than before. Pain-X-2000 light therapy is not a cure all for anything. It's simply one tool to use in the never-ending search for the optimum health for our performance horses. Used correctly and in tandem with other traditional and non-traditional methods, the Pain-X-2000 and Performance Horse Therapy can help your horse feel better and give him that edge he needs to compete at the top of his game. I know that combined with proper nutrition, a good exercise program and supplements to help with his arthritis, Chili has a chance to be what he wants to be, a fast running hard turning barrel horse, and I for one am looking forward to running him next year. |