With copious amounts of horse therapy rugs on the market, it is hard to know what rug is best for your horse’s needs. Therapeutic horse rugs are designed to assist with maintaining peak condition as well as aiding muscle recovery and reduce tension.
Horse therapy rugs work using various methods. Some of these include, massage, electromagnetic pulses, magnetic therapy and infrared technology.
We have compiled a buyer’s guide to help you find your ideal horse therapy rug.
Massage Therapy Rugs
Massage therapy works through vibrating panels that stimulate the body and increase blood flow. This aids muscle tension and helps to relax your horse’s muscles before or after a workout.
Massage therapy rugs assist in maintaining peak condition and helping with relaxation in the muscles. These rugs have been noted to reduce pain, improve blood supply to tissue, promote relaxation, as well as reducing inflammation and overall quality of life – sounds good to me!
The Equilibrium Therapy Massage Pad, although not a rug, is a therapy pad based on massage. This product is clinically proven to improve back flexibility and promote relaxation by stimulating muscles in the back through vibrations.
Electromagnetic Therapy Rugs
Electromagnetic therapy rugs work by emitting waves of energy through the body. According to science, these waves work by healing damaged cells as well as improving overall relaxation and muscle tension.
Magnetic Therapy Rugs
As the name would suggest, magnetic therapy rugs use the science of magnetic forces to improve the overall condition of the horse. Magnetic therapy rugs consist of magnets that are strategically placed over the main muscle groups. The magnets themselves do not provide the therapeutic aspect – it is the cellular activity in the electromagnetic field that regenerates and assists in repairing damaged cells. By using a magnetic rug, blood flow will generally increase and muscle tension will be reduced.
The Lemieux Conductive Magnotherapy Rug is an excellent example of a magnetic therapy rug that improves blood supply to the joints before exercise and can assist in post exercise recovery.
Infrared Technology Rugs
These rugs use infrared technology to reflect the heat of the body back into the muscle(s). The heat is then reabsorbed and used as a therapeutic element. The increased temperature is notably good for improving the body’s overall blood flow and assisting in the reduction of any inflammation – ideal after a hard workout on tough ground.
An example of infrared technology can be seen in the Weatherbeeta Therapy-Tec Combo Neck Rug. This rug increases your horse’s muscle function to reduce the risk of injury, assist with recovery and generally optimise performance.
