Athina Veterinary Physiotherapy

07/08/2024

https://www.facebook.com/share/jcDSx5ukVNeuzRMS/

21/02/2024

https://youtu.be/i22SWlr1jMQ?si=au0TQERwRMREodYu

Want to ensure you're placing your English Saddle correctly? Here's a video to help you work out where your saddle should sit on you horse.To see our list o...

29/03/2023

With the passing of Mr. Nikos Hatjinikola the equestrian world in Cyprus has lost a great friend and supporter of the sport. Nikos has dedicated his life to the welfare and soundness of horse through his work as a farrier, trainer and jockey.
May you Rest in Peace.

30/09/2022

https://youtu.be/hrZgtrqbMVI

The 24 Behaviors of the Ridden Horse in Pain is a film that dares to challenge the way we look at "badly behaving" horses, and promotes the notion that lamen...

15/06/2022

An overview of Kissing Spine Syndrome in Horses
https://www.navp.co.uk/blog/an-overview-of-kissing-spine-syndrome-in-horses

30/04/2022

Got to meet and treat some very interesting beasties 😊 Thank you Pafos Zoo for an amazing experience.

22/03/2022

Hip Dysplasia in Dogs- A Guide
https://hubs.ly/Q016sfLz0

26/01/2022

24/01/2022

The Equine Documentalist

12/01/2022

06/12/2021

https://youtu.be/J3g8pUj-Q-c

Hey guys, I just wanted to let you know that I have recently released a brand new online education platform called eFarriery Education. If you follow the lin...

05/11/2021

Don't forget it's our Webinar on Proximal Suspensory Desmitis tomorrow. For more information please email [email protected]

09/10/2021

Excellent conference offered by the National Association of Veterinary Physiotherapists. Really exited to watch the the next 3 delegates.

16/09/2021

Pain can be difficult to determine in horses, mainly due to their inability to communicate with us in a way we easily understand, which means that sometimes, minor pain can go undiscovered until it…

25/08/2021

Horses need regular, daily exercise to stay strong. NAVP discuss the importance of explain how to exercise your horse for good health

07/08/2021

121 signatures are needed! Ensure horse welfare in the modern pentathlon

03/08/2021

COOLING HOT HORSES - THE STATE OF THE ART (UPDATED)

*** PLEASE SHARE ***

As there has been a lot of discussion on this topic around the cooling of horses at the Tokyo Olympics I have added some more explanation and I'm reposting.

WHY DO WE NEED TO COOL HORSES AFTER EXERCISE OR IF THEY GET TOO HOT?
-Horses produce heat 3-5 times faster on a per kg basis than we do
-Although horses are 6-7 times heavier, they only have 2 to 2.5 times as much surface area
-The majority of heat (~85%) is lost at the body surface
-Heat loss is also impaired in horses because they are covered in hair
-Horses can sweat faster than any other animal
-Sweating is efficient but slow
-Cooling with cold water is fast
-When horses compete in hot climates they can struggle to cool down after
-We cool them down with cold water (less than 15°C/60°F) to reduce the risk of heat illness and because there is no advantage to them being hot and uncomfortable after exercising. The quicker they cool, the quicker they drink, eat and recover.
-The methods to cool them are now well understood.

Since Atlanta 1996 we have known that using continuous application of cold water (less than 15°C/60°F) all over the horses body without scraping is the most effective way to cool down horses that are moderately to severely hyperthermic (re**al temperature in excess of ~40°C/104°F), especially in hot or hot/humid conditions.

The sources for this evidence are:

PEER-REVIEWED PUBLISHED PAPERS
1) Williamson, L.S., White, S., Maykuth, P., Andrews, F., Sommerdahl, C. and Green, E. Comparison between two post exercise cooling methods. Equine Vet J., 27(S18), 337-340.
https://beva.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/share/7MBUJJWJZPVWQKTNIJWN?target=10.1111/j.2042-3306.1995.tb04948.x

2) Marlin, D. J., Scott, C. M., Roberts, C. A., Casas, I., Holah, G., & Schroter, R. C. (1998). Post exercise changes in compartmental body temperature accompanying intermittent cold water cooling in the hyperthermic horse. Equine veterinary journal, 30(1), 28–34.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9458396/

3) Kohn, C.W., Hinchcliff, K.W. and McKeever, K.H. (1999) Evaluation of washing with cold water to facilitate heat dissipation in horses exercised in hot, humid conditions. American Journal of Veterinary Research, 01 Mar 1999, 60(3):299-305. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10188810/

4) Takahashi, Y., Ohmura, H., Mukai, K., Shiose, T., & Takahashi, T. (2020). A Comparison of Five Cooling Methods in Hot and Humid Environments in Thoroughbred Horses. Journal of equine veterinary science, 91, 103130.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32684268/

5) Kang, H., Zsoldos, R.R., Skinner, J.E., Gaughan, J.B. and Guitart, A.S. (2021) Comparison of post-exercise cooling methods in horses. Journal of Equine Veterinary Science 100 (2021) 103485
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jevs.2021.103485

DATA COLLECTED & ANALYSED AT
a) Atlanta 1995 Olympic Test Event
b) Atlanta 1996 Olympics
c) Athens 2003 Olympic Test Event
d) Athens 2004 Olympics
e) Beijing 2007 Olympic Test Event
f) Beijing 2008 Olympics
g) Tryon 2018 World Equestrian Games
h) Tokyo 2019 Olympic Test Event
i) Tokyo 2020(1) Olympic Games Dressage and Eventing

Cooling hot horses with cold water DOES NOT
1) cause muscle damage
2) cause laminitis
3) induce shock
4) give horses heart attacks
5) prevent them from cooling by constriction of skin blood flow

Water left on horses DOES NOT
1) insulate and prevent heat loss
2) cause them to overheat

It is NOT MORE EFFECTIVE TO
1) start at the feet and work up
2) scrape water off whilst cooling (it causes them to warm up)
3) focus on large blood vessels
4) cover the horse with wet towels
5) place ice on large blood vessels near the surface such as the jugular veins or femoral arteries
6) put ice in the re**um
7) rely on misting fans

*** PLEASE SHARE ***

30/07/2021

Equine Physio in Tokyo Part 3

Physiotherapy.

Some get massaged and stretched before work. Others treated after depending on their situation. The laser is useful for small grazes and skin problems while radiofrequency is used to help ease tension and soreness alongside soft tissue work.

They tend to have this every few days with some deep tissue manual treatment when necessary.

All the horses have travelled well and recovered quickly. They all slept the first afternoon but bounced back quickly and have enjoyed a range of work. The eventers have now trotted up and competing is underway.

We help with the cooling of the horses afterwork. There are plenty of mist fan tents around the arenas and washing off facilities with cool showers but also 4 containers all with ice water at different temperatures for fast cooling when required.
We also have freezers with ice, washing machines and toilets in the stable barns.

Its great to work alongside the other FEI therapists here and share experiences and treatment protocols. It's nice to have other therapists and vets come to talk about and discuss your methods and equipment. We all learn from each other.

Kimberley Mallett

01/07/2021

COOLING HOT HORSES - THE STATE OF THE ART

*** PLEASE SHARE ***

Since Atlanta 1996 we have known that using continuous application of cold water without scraping is the most effective way to cool down horses that are moderately to severely hyperthermic (re**al temperature in excess of ~40°C/104°F), especially in hot or hot/humid conditions.

The sources for this evidence are:

PEER-REVIEWED PUBLISHED PAPERS
1) Williamson, L.S., White, S., Maykuth, P., Andrews, F., Sommerdahl, C. and Green, E. Comparison between two post exercise cooling methods. Equine Vet J., 27(S18), 337-340.
https://beva.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.2042-3306.1995.tb04948.x

2) Marlin, D. J., Scott, C. M., Roberts, C. A., Casas, I., Holah, G., & Schroter, R. C. (1998). Post exercise changes in compartmental body temperature accompanying intermittent cold water cooling in the hyperthermic horse. Equine veterinary journal, 30(1), 28–34.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9458396/

3) Kohn, C.W., Hinchcliff, K.W. and McKeever, K.H. (1999) Evaluation of washing with cold water to facilitate heat dissipation in horses exercised in hot, humid conditions. American Journal of Veterinary Research, 01 Mar 1999, 60(3):299-305. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10188810/

4) Takahashi, Y., Ohmura, H., Mukai, K., Shiose, T., & Takahashi, T. (2020). A Comparison of Five Cooling Methods in Hot and Humid Environments in Thoroughbred Horses. Journal of equine veterinary science, 91, 103130.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32684268/

5) Kang, H., Zsoldos, R.R., Skinner, J.E., Gaughan, J.B. and Guitart, A.S. (2021) Comparison of post-exercise cooling methods in horses. Journal of Equine Veterinary Science 100 (2021) 103485
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jevs.2021.103485

DATA COLLECTED & ANALYSED AT
a) Atlanta 1995 Olympic Test Event
b) Atlanta 1996 Olympics
c) Athens 2003 Olympic Test Event
d) Athens 2004 Olympics
e) Beijing 2007 Olympic Test Event
f) Beijing 2008 Olympics
g) Tryon 2018 World Equestrian Games
h) Tokyo 2019 Olympic Test Event

Cooling hot horses with cold water DOES NOT
1) cause muscle damage
2) cause laminitis
3) induce shock
4) give horses heart attacks
5) prevent them from cooling by constriction of skin blood flow

Water left on horses DOES NOT
1) insulate and prevent heat loss
2) cause them to overheat

It is NOT MORE EFFECTIVE TO
1) start at the feet and work up
2) scrape water off whilst cooling (it causes them to warm up)
3) focus on large blood vessels
4) cover the horse with wet towels

*** PLEASE SHARE ***