What Is Horse Hydrotherapy?
Equine hydrotherapy uses water as a tool that can help address several health issues. Dr. Chyrle Bonk, DVM, says that hydrotherapy can help horses recover from injuries and improve their physical conditioning.
“Water provides resistance to help build muscle and increase flexibility, while also providing buoyancy to relieve pressure on joints and injuries,” she explains. “It can also be very calming for horses that are used to it.”
Horse owners can choose from several types of hydrotherapy:
- Cold hosing, or continuously passing cold water over the body
- Saltwater spas, in which a horse stands in a spa of cold saltwater
- Underwater treadmills, in which a horse walks through water
- Swimming, whether in an equine swimming pool or natural body of water
“Hydrotherapy is becoming more and more popular as people start to understand its benefits and uses in the horse world,” says Bonk. “It’s especially popular for sport horses because it can not only help them get them into proper condition for their competitions, but is also a great recovery tool for injuries or surgeries that often come with horses that are competing.”
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