Page 76 - Speedhorse, December 2018

Equine
“People are looking for something non-invasive and non-pharmaceutical that doesn’t have side effects. And we’re all looking to save money. If you can use therapy like this to prolong your injections or even prevent having injections, you’re going to save in the long run.”
by John Moorehouse
Like any other sport, horse racing can lead to injuries in equine athletes. Many individu- als devote themselves to help mitigate the
damage done by those injuries. Through equine therapy and rehabilitation, even seriously injured horses can recover from the damage and even resume their career on the track.
At Superior Therapy LLC, in Guthrie, Oklahoma, Summer Terry uses her skills as a physical therapist and massage therapist to serve both humans and animals alike. Terry opened Superior Therapy about two years ago and has approximately 15 years total experience in the massage and therapeutic industry.
“I always wanted to do something in the horse industry,” Terry explained. “I would haul and set up my table and work on jockeys and people at barrel races and at the Quarter Horse World Show.”
Terry realized she could make, as she put it, “a positive change” in the horse world by putting her skills to work to benefit equine patients.
According to Terry, most horses start out in water therapy. This type of therapy involves getting horses on treadmills that are above-ground and enclosed where the water levels can be adjusted. Starting small is crucial, she said, as many horses— and racehorses in particular—immediately perceive the water therapy as a “claustrophobic” situation.
“We lead them up to it,” Terry said. “It might begin as a dry treadmill. I might start them with the front and the back doors open. That way if they need an exit plan, they’re not going to get hung up in there. We ease them up on it, get them going on the dry track first, close the doors and if it’s still going well, we start adding water.”
Working in water allows Terry to adjust the incline of the treadmills and the water level, depending on the specific needs of each individual horse. If a horse is not able to bear as much weight on the injured limb, for example, the water level can be raised. For a horse who just needs to get fit or has been dealing with a neurological issue, the water level remains low so the range of motion in the hips and shoulders can be restored.
This type of therapy has proven quite helpful for horses dealing with bleeding problems. “When you put them on the treadmill and you bring the water up, it’s a hard workout pulling through
that water,” she said. “It’s harder than people think. Then you increase your speed. That’s what
Rehabilitation
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opens up and builds your lung capacity, but it’s not as hard on them as having to trot or gallop to get that same air intake.”
Another helpful treatment method for horses has been the salt spa—a mixture of Epsom salt and water that is usually kept between 36 and 38 degrees. Salt- spa sessions have been particularly effective when treating joint pain and lower leg inflammation.
“If you’ve got a horse that’s been on concrete stalls for several days, put them in the salt spa and it pulls that inflammation out,” Terry observed. “It helps with abscesses, stone bruises, many types of hoof problems.”
Yet another therapeutic method at Terry’s disposal is pulsating electromagnetic field therapy—or PEMF therapy. Terry uses that