Competitive trail riding and long distance endurance racing both fall into this category. These equine athletes are asked to cover distances of 25 to 100 miles over terrain that often includes steep hills and trails with numerous obstacles. This requires a great deal of strength and stamina from both the horse and the rider.

Although all breeds of horses compete in endurance races, the Arabian Horse and its crosses possess the natural ability to be the most competitive.

Often these events are conducted far from electricity that makes using the Thermotex™ Infrared Therapy System appliances very difficult before these competitions. However Thermotex products can be used with a power inverter plugged into the cigarette lighter of a vehicle if one is available. The blanket draws 298 watts of power and there are inverters that are powerful enough to accommodate. Some rules apply within different associations that prohibit the use of any outside aid to the animals before a race and during the competition. The main use of the Thermotex™ Infrared Therapy System appliances within this discipline is in the recovery stage after the race and maintenance of the horses during the training period.

Recovery Protocols after an Endurance Competition

The goals of recovery therapy performed on an endurance horse are:

• An increase in the circulation within the musculature to aid in the removal of lactic acid and the byproducts of severe work upon the musculature.
• To provide comfort and pain relief.
• A relief of inflammation within the tissues and joints.

The Thermotex™ Infrared Therapy System appliances provide an easy complete modality for accomplishing these goals.

After the animal is rested, hydrated and relaxed, the Thermotex™ Infrared Therapy System therapy blanket should be applied on the low setting for 30 to 60 minutes. In addition, the leggings, neck and hood appliances can be applied as needed. These therapy sessions can be applied as often as deemed necessary for the animal to recover.

Several hours before a training session begins, a therapy session should be initiated using the therapy blanket, leggings and neck appliances. The duration of the therapy should be at least 30 minutes to allow the athlete to be well warmed-up, flexible and agile before the training even begins. This will also offer a relief of soreness from prior training sessions.

After the animal has trained, cooled out and relaxes, a second session in the evening is beneficial in the aid in recovery from the training. This is especially true where the course includes many steep hills or sand footing.

You can't overuse these therapy devices within this discipline. The more therapy sessions that are conducted, the more comfortable and happy your horse will be.

There isn't a single discipline that would not benefit from therapy sessions with the Thermotex™ Infrared Therapy System appliances. Each discipline has its own unique characteristics and stresses but all can benefit from infrared heat therapy. The important fact to remember is:

These appliances provide a safe efficacious infrared heat therapy to the equine athlete. They should be used as often as practical and in as many situations as possible. They only work when they are on the horse and the only time they doen't work is when they are hanging in the tack room.