Polo ponies must be able to start fast, make abrupt turns on a dime, flying lead changes, slide to a stop and neck rein. Often times the rider is in an out-of-balance position and the animal must also compensate for this. These animals are usually less than or about 15 hands high, extremely well balanced, agile, fast, have great stamina and are very obedient.

These athletes come complete with their own unique set of stresses upon their musculoskeletal systems. They are predisposed to:

• Constant tendon strains
• Strain upon the musculature and joints of the hindquarters
• Strains upon the lumbosacral joint and the surrounding musculature.
• Stress upon the musculature of the neck due to the constant quick changes in direction.
• Strains upon the chest and shoulders from the abrupt stops.
• Tying up due to the lactic acid buildup within the musculature during this strenuous activity.

Pre-event Warm-up of Polo Ponies:

Use of the Thermotex™ Infrared Therapy System leggings (on both fore- and hindlimbs), therapy blanket sessions and treatment with the neck appliance allow for a more agile, comfortable athlete less predisposed to injury. The Polo athlete should be warmed up with at least a 30 to 60 minute therapy session before the match. This therapy session can easily come an adjunct to other modalities such as massage.

Event Recovery and Maintenance:

Therapy sessions should be performed after the animal competes and is allowed to cool down. This will aid in the recovery and allow the athlete to be more comfortable. Often it would be of benefit to use cool water on the limbs first while the therapy blanket is on the horse.

Daily maintenance will help ensure that you have a sound willing pony during training. Sessions can be both before and after exercise for at least 30 minutes in duration.

Treatment of the limbs of a Polo pony should never be initiated before an accurate diagnosis is made. The strain and stress to the ligaments and tendons is harsh and a treatment program should be followed in accordance with a veterinarian or equine therapist's advice. Often it is beneficial to combine a sequence of hot and cold therapies to the limbs to allow a quicker recovery.

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.