Ionicare - successful, expedited recovery

Tim Ritchey, trainer of Afleet Alex, had a problem. Two of his most promising young horses had come up with tendon lesions.

An ultrasound in September 2012 of a prize 2-year old thoroughbred filly showed a 12% Palmar Border Lesion right front superficial digital flexor tendon.

On the same day a promising 2-year old thoroughbred colt injured his right front superficial digital flexor tendon. An ultrasound diagnosis confirmed an acute 7% Core Lesion.

The typical chance of recovery from this type of injury with traditional modes of therapy is at best about 50%. His vet, Dr. Kathleen Anderson, DVM (Vice President of the AAEP) of Equine Veterinary Care at Fair Hill Training Center, suggested he try a recently released technology to treat the problem. 

On Dr. Anderson’s, recommendation, Tim started daily therapy with the IoniCare® System 3, along with hand walking for both horses. Follow up ultrasounds in October showed “significant improvement” in both cases.

Tim and Dr. Anderson were excited to see that ultrasounds in December  showed “excellent healing” in both cases.

Based on the ultrasound and clinical exam, both horses were able to resume training in early January 2013. Because newly healed tissue has not had time to mature, and isn’t as stable as mature tissue, the horses were brought along carefully.

The filly has raced six times (3 wins and 2 thirds). She continues on daily IoniCare therapy and is racing sound.

The colt has raced 7 times (2 wins and 2 seconds). The tendon has remained sound and daily maintenance IoniCare therapy continues. 

Ritchey says "In my 40 years around the track, this is by far the most successful form of therapy with the quickest recovery time of any system I have encountered or experienced." He is currently using the System on nearly all his horses either for injury treatment or maintenance.

Dr. Anderson commented 

“Soft tissue injuries in racehorses often frustrate owners, trainers and veterinarians with a slow rate of healing and frequent re-occurrence. I have observed encouraging outcomes on both upper level event horses and thoroughbred racehorses with focused rehabilitation and maintenance programs utilizing the IoniCare unit. Clinical and ultrasound findings both support these observations. Definitely worth a try!”

According to System developer Equine OrthoCare, LLC, the patent pending IoniCare System 3 is based on the principle that external electrical field therapy positively influences the repair mechanisms of bone, cartilage and other connective tissue. It has been specifically designed and adapted to apply a proven technology for horses.

The System delivers a patented, low amplitude, subliminal electrical signal to the treatment site. This unique signal creates a specific electrical field within the treatment site designed to mimic or enhance the internal electrical fields that are naturally produced in the body. 

Daniel V. Flynn, V.M.D., past president of AAEP, medical director Equine OrthoCare, and the man with the most clinical experience with the System, reports: 

“Common tendon and ligament injuries of the lower limb respond very well to the IoniCare System. A significant reduction in healing time is seen and the size of the injured tendon or ligament remains closer to normal. This is confirmed by diagnostic ultrasound.”

Other prominent vets who have had success treating soft tissue injuries with the IoniCare System include Gayle W. Trotter, DVM, MS, Diplomate ACVS (Co-editor of the standard text Joint Disease in the Horse), and  Scott Morrison, DVM, (Podiatry Specialist, The Podiatry Center, Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital, Lexington, KY)

Equine OrthoCare says the effectiveness of the IoniCare System in treating causes of equine lameness has been demonstrated by years of field testing by equine veterinarians, trainers and horse owners in the United States. This versatile non-drug, non-invasive technology has been used in equine veterinary practice to successfully treat joint and connective tissue injuries including bone, cartilage, tendon and ligament. When properly used, the System is safe and has no known adverse side effects. Its design allows for treatment of two sites simultaneously, and can be used on multiple horses each day.

For more information call 855-446-6422, or visit www.ionicare.com

Increasing Equine Fitness

Horses, like humans, experience the seemingly inevitable onslaught of aging. Stiffness, reduced energy, limited mobility and (not surprisingly) downright irritability are symptoms most of us are familiar with!

A wealth of research now shows a direct correlation between athletic injury, age-related decline and decreased performance, and the degeneration of connective tissues and associated structures i.e. ligaments, tendons, fascia, bone, blood vessels, and more.

Over time and with use, connective tissue becomes dry and inflexible due to reduced stability of cell membranes and limited production of glycosaminoglycan (moisture-holding structures). This can be the cause of a range of conditions including osteoarthritis, degenerative joint disease, osteochondrosis, laminitis to name but a few. In all cases, inflammation is a universal complaint. Chronic inflammation induces fatigue, dampens enthusiasm and ensures poor performance—also signs and symptoms of accelerated aging. Therefore, what appears to be an inevitable degenerative process might actually be an acute or chronic condition that is both preventable and treatable.

If pain is the problem, RECOVERY EQ is a potent solution that targets the root causes of the pain. By inhibiting damage to cells, curbing inflammation, relaxing tension and increasing a cell’s ability to receive hormones, RECOVERY often brings results far beyond expectations.

Recovery EQ has been developed over 10 years to improve circulation to tissues, speed repair and slow or halt tissue damage. The primary active ingredient is Nutricol, a potent blend of naturally-occurring substances derived from foods that have been shown in numerous clinical studies to profoundly affect cell health. Nutricol, is a proprietary blending of plant nutrients known as polyphenols. These are the same substances that have made green tea and red grapes the subject of much scientific study in recent years. Nutricol decreases trauma - from chronic lameness, surgery, injury and over-training – by both increasing the cell's resistance to damage & improving its ability to repair damage.

For more information, please go to www.recoveryeq.com

Published in North American Trainer Fall/Winter 2013 Issue 30

Horse Weigh launch new 'space age' weighing platform

The “Goodwood” is the new super lightweight weighing platform from Horse Weigh, using Formula One and aerospace technology.  Each half of the platform weighs only 31.31lbs (14.2kg), has its own transport bag and may be carried on a shoulder. It is assembled in less than 2 minutes. If you are taking your horses abroad, your “Goodwood” goes too.  Bluetooth recording technology of all data is standard. 

The “Goodwood” was launched at the Coronation Festival at Buckingham Palace in July. (Horse Weigh is a Royal Warrant Holder supplying horse weighing equipment to HM The Queen.) The Goodwood is taking Europe by storm - deliveries have already been made. It is now available in North America, and great interest has already been received.

Weighing is ideal for maintaining the optimum winning weight of racehorses.  Regular weighing will pick up a problem before your eye does.  It is also useful to monitor the recovery weight after travel nationally and internationally. By monitoring the weight a trainer can decide whether to advance a horse’s training or hold it back and thus not waste valuable time.  Owners are requesting the optimum winning weight of their horses and wanting their trainers to weigh.  Some trainers report that owners ‘expect’ them to weigh weekly. 

This platform has been field-tested by racehorses in rehabilitation, by foals, mares and stallions during the spring and summer at Shadwell Estate Co Ltd and at The Royal Studs. 

Studs weigh regularly to monitor growth and adjust feed accordingly; stallions can be maintained at their optimum weight during the covering season.  Weighing can be carried out in the paddocks instead of bringing the horses back to the stables so saving time for staff and stress to horses.  

This portable platform is popular with vets who may have to operate out in the paddocks.  An accurate weight means an accurate amount of anaesthetic; the accuracy guarantee is +/- 1%. 

Champion trainer elect, Richard Hannon says “Horse Weigh platforms are a very helpful training aid to monitor the horses’ weights.  We always weigh them before and after a run and then again a few days later to see how quickly they regained the weight which they lost during a run.”

“Sky Lantern is weighed regularly like all the horses; probable Breeder’s Cup contender Toronado is weighed every week and we could see that he was putting on condition, which just confirmed our thoughts that he was really improving and in great form for Royal Ascot.”

For more details contact: 

william@horseweigh.com

 Tel: +44 (0) 1939 220667

 Published in North American Trainer Fall/Winter 2013 Issue 30 

Speed Silks™ - the latest uniform in technology

Earlier this Fall, Darby Racing Technology, LLC, launched an incredible new product for racing horsemen and jockeys - Speed Silks™.

Speed Silks is a revolutionary new equine jockey uniform made almost entirely from Aero Dimplex®, an ultra-lightweight, aerodynamically-engineered fabric that is textured to reduce drag. 

Speed Silks inventor, Matt Darby, says “Cyclists have been wearing uniforms made of Aero Dimplex for a few years. Even some competitive runners have adopted it, but the technology has never been used in horse racing until now”.

The use of Aero Dimplex is key to the design of Speed Silks; it is the industry standard in the world of competitive cycling and, according to manufacturer SwissTech, it’s the highest-rated aerodynamic fabric between 14 and 47 miles per hour. 

The entire Speed Silks line includes four products: colors (jerseys), helmet covers, pants and boot sleeves. All Speed Silks products are form-fitting; that, in addition to the special material from which they are made, reduces the amount of aerodynamic drag the jockey’s body creates in 3 ways:

• The “kite tail” effect – A jockey’s colors and pants make a lot of noise during a race. That noise is his clothing flapping in the wind. Every single flap pulls backwards on the jockey and therefore, the horse. We call it the “kite tail effect.” All Speed Silks products are form-fitting and almost seamless, so they don’t flap in the wind as the horse and jockey move through the air. Even Speed Silks pants conform to the rider’s body.

Skin friction - is the friction created as air is dragged across a surface; in this case, the jockey. The textured surface of the Aero Dimplex creates tiny pockets of turbulence along the surface of the jockey. While it may seem counter-intuitive, that’s what allows the rider to “slip” through the air more freely. 

Form drag – As a jockey moves through the air, a low-pressure pocket develops behind him. Cyclists and NASCAR drivers already know about this phenomenon, and take advantage of it by “drafting” closely behind another competitor. Race horses can’t “draft,” but Aero Dimplex’s special texture decreases the size of this low-pressure pocket by allowing the air to flow more smoothly around the rider. This reduces the backward pull on the jockey.

Darby says his product solves a problem many horsemen don’t even realize they have. “A jockey wearing traditional, old fashioned gear is basically a big parachute on top of the horse,” he says. “But since jockeys have worn loose, baggy uniforms for a hundred years or more, most owners and trainers never really think about it. I spent about two and half years building and testing a complete head-to-toe uniform designed from the ground up with a jockey in mind. Speed Silks will cover the rider from head to ankles in an aerodynamic shell of Aero Dimplex.

The colors, helmet covers and pants are all fully customizable. Anything you can dream of, we can put on the product in very bright, vibrant colors…owner colors, sponsor logos, anything. I’ll put a photo of your grandkids on your back if you ask me to. And the photo will look great.”

All Speed Silks products are available from Darby Racing Technology at www.SpeedSilks.com. Questions can be e-mailed to info@SpeedSilks.com. Matt Darby can be reached by phone at 806-570-6920. Follow on Twitter: @SpeedSilks.

Speed Silks™ is a trademark of Darby Racing Technology, LLC, in the US and in other countries.

Aero Dimplex® is the registered trademark of Schoeller Textil AG and may be registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office and in other countries.

Published in North American Trainer Fall/Winter 2013 Issue 30