Thera-Tree

06/06/2025

When horses go well, there's something about their ability to move and carry themselves that brings out the dynamic beauty in them.

This can only happen, consistently and over time, if they can comfortably lift all portions of their backs into the saddle at all gaits equally well and while jumping. How horses with differing conformations can do this despite the downward pressure of saddle, girth and rider is not at all obvious. In fact, the pursuit of this ideal has occupied the past 30 plus years of my life and has necessitated the ongoing need and contributions of our test horses.

There is much that I like about the way this horse is jumping. He has a lovely bascule, a lovely expression, even and correct use of his legs and shoulders. He's really using his thoracic sling and coming up through his withers. There is a total absence of resistance— and resistance is what detracts from a winning performance.

This is one of our "test horses," George, a nice horse but certainly not an exceptional one. The jump is neither high or interesting enough to invite much effort on his part. This begs the question; why is he jumping so beautifully?

The answer is simple; because he can. And with complete comfort, partnership and joy.
While exceptional horses round up through their backs naturally, I am looking to get perfectly ordinary horses to do this through our saddle technology.

George’s daily routine (and mine) consists of the kind of gymnastic flatwork which was the cornerstone of my early training with Raul deLeon, an ardent follower of the principles exemplified by US show jumping coach Bertalan deNemethy. This preceeded my work with US eventing coach Jack LeGoff who taught the same principles.

What makes this type of work, for this horse (and indeed any horse) so valuable as a preparation for jumping is his complete ability to come up into the saddle. The saddle invites him to use himself in the way he was created. To borrow a quote from Cathy McEnroe , "the saddle is his friend." The quality of the jumping effort reflects the quality of the flatwork; his ability to lift, round, and propel from behind over a jump is a very similar effort and a natural extension of what he's already doing on the flat.

When horses have uncompromised use of their back and thoracic sling, they're balanced, more dynamic and comfortable to ride. In this way, they make a rider's position, balance, and aids more effective and attractive.

My goal is to create saddles that bring out the true beauty and partnership that is possible in riding and to make this joyful experience more available for all involved in the effort.

With gratitude,
Tad Coffin

15/05/2025

Thera-Tree was behind the scenes at Intercollegiate Horse Shows Association Nationals helping some of the horses stay hydrated, limber, relaxed and perform at their best!

Works during shipping, too, since it’s wireless and non electronic. The horse that worries a bit while traveling wore the Thera-Tree on the 10 hour trip and arrived relaxed, happy, and hydrated.

More about this unique equine wellness device at Thera-Tree.com.

12/01/2025

Same technology, just smaller!

Details and purchase info at www.eWell.life!

When the eWell Halter Puck is worn on the headstall of the horse’s halter below the ear and near the jaw, it is close to where twelve pairs of cranial nerves intersect. This includes the vagus nerve, which is the main component of the parasympathetic nervous system. This system controls functions such as digestion, heart rate, and immune system.

Like other prey animals, horses have a highly developed sense of energy perception. Their fight/flight instincts have been key to their survival over the past 55 million years. It’s the parasympathetic nervous system that is at work when they are quiet. It decreases alertness, blood pressure, and heart rate, and helps with calmness, relaxation, and digestion.

Today’s environment is very different from that in which they were naturally created. Like us, horses live under invisible bombardment from a constant array of frequencies from cell phones, radio waves, WiFi signals, and LED lights. Many people believe that increased exposure to these frequencies of light is a source of chronic dehydration and anxiety in people, so it stands to reason that or equine friends may be suffering the same.

The eWell Puck helps to counter act this by emitting a “light” energy in a beneficial red light spectrum. It also contains shungite, which has a structured crystalline structure that acts as a shield against non-native light.

Some horses are extraordinarily aware, even about things that we don’t notice. For an animal that is constantly toggling between a sympathetic (stressed) state to a parasympathetic (calm) state, bioelectricity is everything. Even as we seek to understand their complexities, we are on the outer edges of what they know and feel.

We have brought them into our world, and it’s complicated for them. We do know for sure that the eWell Puck imparts something that many horses find soothing.

If you’re looking for a way to support the health and wellbeing of your equine friends that’s free from pharmaceuticals and supplements, consider the eWell Halter Puck. It’s wireless, durable, never needs to be charged, and they can’t get “too much” of it.

This configuration of the eWell Puck is the same technology that has been improving horses’ lives for 10+ years though Tad Coffin’s saddles and therapy device, the Thera-Tree.

For ordering details please visit www.eWell.life.

15/12/2024

Anyone who’s been curious (and a bit mind boggled) about how Tad’s SmartRide Rx Saddle Technology that’s in the Thera-Tree “works” will be interested in this article:

If you’re ready for a deep dive into water science, here you go!

https://www.midwesterndoctor.com/p/what-moves-water-inside-the-body?utm_campaign=post&triedRedirect=true

Come follow us eWell if you’d like to keep up with how Tad’s technology is providing wearable wellness for pets and people!

If you’re curious to learn more about how the eWell Puck works and you’re ready to take a deep dive into emerging water science, you’ll want to read this article:

“What Moves Water Inside the Body…”

“One of the fascinating things about science is that while it is an excellent tool for discerning the nature of reality, it will simultaneously refuse to look at data with implications that challenge the existing scientific orthodoxy. As such, an unfortunate situation is created where science advances knowledge to a point but then reverses polarities and paradoxically becomes a barrier to that advancement.

An excellent illustration of this dynamic can be seen with water, and as a result, many of its properties are relatively unknown. One of the most important properties is that provided ambient infrared energy is present in the environment and a polar surface exists, water (H2O) can assume a semi-solid state as H3O (H1.5O2) where it eliminates a proton (hydrogen ion) and behaves like a liquid crystal. Since a significant portion of the water within the body is in the liquid crystalline state, the biological consequences of this water, in my eyes, represent a key forgotten side of medicine.”
-A Midwestern Doctor
on Substack (12/8/24)

Entire article here:

https://www.midwesterndoctor.com/p/what-moves-water-inside-the-body?utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web

22/11/2024

Big news! The same SmartRide Rx Saddle Technology that’s in the Thera-Tree is now available in a small disc, wearable size for pets and people!

It’s lightweight, wireless, never needs charging, and available for purchase!

Check out the “eWell Puck” at www.eWell.life and follow on FB eWell !

The eWell Puck is the wearable wellness device you didn’t know you needed. It’s a non-electronic and medicine-free way to reduce inflammation and anxiety and improve sleep, hydration, energy, and overall health.

27/10/2024

Sent to us from a Thera-Tree user of a horse in her program: This horse has a very sad history and is extremely agitated being stalled (which she only does for a few minutes a day in this new-to-him program.) Here’s a video she made of before and after putting the Thera-Tree on him.

15/03/2024

At a school in Lynchburg, Va. there are two special teddy bear mascots that move about classrooms and administrative offices. The “Thera-Bears” do more than just look cute: inside each of them is a wireless unit called a Thera-Tree which emits a gentle infrared energy field that reaches about 12 feet around the bear. It also helps mitigate the effects of exposure to blue light from computers, Smart Boards, and Wi-Fi.

The Thera-Tree technology, originally developed for horses, has been used worldwide for the last 8 years as a therapeutic device to calm anxiety and decrease tension, pain and muscle soreness. The device optimizes hydration, which supports overall cell functioning in the body. The combined effects result in an overall increased focus and willingness during horses’ training sessions. Over the past few years many horse trainers who are also around the electromagnetic field while using this device in their stables report less pain, tension, and anxiety, to the point that they take the Thera-Tree home with them at night to support their own wellness. They have also noticed that it has been helpful with comforting pets who are anxious or unwell. Human cancer patients find comfort being around it as well.

The Thera-Bears have this exact technology inside them. They come to the school by way of a parent who is a professional horse trainer and sees correlations between horses and neurodivergent kids as highly sensitive creatures. She has witnessed the benefits of this technology in the stable where she works and has a device at home as well. A few years ago, when her daughter said “Mommy it makes me feel peaceful,” she shared this feedback with the inventor, Tad Coffin, who is an Olympic gold medalist, saddle maker, and highly esteemed horseman based near Charlottesville, Va. Tad has gotten enough similar feedback to make a prototype teddy bear, now dubbed the Thera-Bear.

This school is lucky enough to be one of a few non-equine programs to be trying them out. One Thera-Bear came at the end of the school year last year and was in such demand that another joined in last fall. The Bears are available to be around the kids whenever they want them; sometimes they join upper school classrooms during test-taking, or hang out with elementary classes in reading circle, or just wait in the principal’s office to help with problem solving. Sometimes kids seek them out and then return to their work when they are feeling better. The Thera-Bears are simple to have around because the unit inside it is not an electronic device, needs no batteries and doesn't ever need to be recharged.

The interesting thing Jenn Fessler reports from using the device around the stable is that “I have never seen a horse not positively embrace being in the electromagnetic field of this device. The spectrum of light is the same as what is beneficial about being in early morning sun. It feels comforting, and so very subtle that I have never seen or heard of even the most sensitive of animals seem unhappy about being around it. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. When one horse is wearing the Thera-Tree, other horses want to hang out with that horse because it feels good for them to be peaceful together, sharing the field. I think it could be the same for the kids, and this is an interesting opportunity to see what benefits this could bring to a school community.”

The science behind this technology is connected to the work of University of Washington researcher, Professor Gerald Pollack. His research has shown that water has a fourth phase, a liquid crystalline, in between a liquid and a solid that has distinct properties, one of which is the separation into positively and negatively charged zones. He believes that the water in our bodies is predominantly fourth phase water and the charge differential is a 'water battery' that drives much of our biology. It plays a fundamental role in the movement of fluids, the delivery of oxygen, the distribution of nutrients and the removal of waste. The fourth phase 'water battery' is recharged with light, particularly in the infrared spectrum. Dr. Pollack's been nominated for a Nobel Prize and his books and many videos on YouTube are excellent references for those interested in a deeper dive into his research.

If you’re curious to read feedback from other programs and individuals who have used this technology to help reduce stress, check out www.tadcoffinsaddles.com/thera-bear. There has been an informal study done at Brookhill Farm, in which the kids demonstrated a lowering of heart rate across the board in 95% of human participants when in the field of the Thera-Tree technology. That data is available on Tad Coffin’s website, too, along with an independent study by a veterinarian that proved a lowering of heart rates and faster recovery after exercise in horses as well.

If you have questions about this unique technology, or are interested in exploring what a Thera-Bear might do in a community you know, please give Tad Coffin a call at (434) 989-3229.