Do The Back On Track Products Actually Work?

One of my horses has a club foot. The club foot places a large amount of strain on the body, causing muscle imbalances and pain. I would say the two things that make the most difference with maintaining a club foot would be proper shoeing and quality arena footing. Both I try to practice, but I am looking for a little extra something to increase mobility, especially in the shoulder.

I see people using Back On Track products all the time...but do they work? Are there studies?

Back On Track claim: Back on Track's joint and muscle support are all made of functional textiles with heat reflective properties. The textile is a synergy of ancient Chinese experience and modern scientific textile technology. During the manufacturing of polyester- or polyester fibers, the ceramic particles are fused into the fibers. When heated, the ceramic particles radiate a heat back towards the body. This reflected heat is long-wave heat radiation, which is also known as long wave infrared radiation.

Most of us know heat does decrease pain and help loosen up joints. I use heat all the time and it does work. Being an athlete, one thing I do to help recovery is take a super hot bath and then elevate my legs...you can feel the blood flow. Increasing blood flow helps remove toxins and deliver nutrients to muscle, tendons, and ligaments to help with recovery. I am pretty sure sticking my horse in the hot tub and hanging him upside down isn't an option! lol. Do Back On Track products get hot enough to really help blood flow? Do they penetrate the muscle deep enough to make a difference?

The Back On Track website includes studies and veterinarian recommendations on the product. Even Olympian McLain Ward supports the product:

"Everything has been excellent, by using the Back on Track leg 
  wraps. We do a better job of the horse’s legs and we’ve stopped
  using poultice so it cuts down on the problem of drying out the   legs and skin irritation. When using the Back on Track
  blankets, we’ve noticed a great difference in the horses’ backs.
  We can go longer between the chiropractic treatments. This is a
  wonderful product that keeps our horses in great shape."

Other top rider recommendations may be found here: http://www.backontrackproducts.com/Testimonials-15.html

I do realize though that some of these people may favor the product because they are receiving free products in exchange for using them (or perhaps money). It's called being sponsored...but I also see a lot of normal, paying customers liking the product.

Average (ie paying customers) rider reviews:

"I purchased this for my 5 year old OTTB mare who has had a lot of body soreness over the past year since she started eventing after the track. For just the couple of days that she has worn in, she feels much looser in her body and her back and shoulders do not feel as tight or restricted during flatwork."

"She has been wearing the sheet now for about a month and half. After the initial two weeks of weaning her on to it, she has been wearing it every night. I have noticed that she is more willing to move forward when working and has a more pleasant demeanor in her stall.
She still needs regular visits from her vet for chiropractor appointments but it seems to have added another "tool" to managing the inflammation from her Kissing Spines. I'm thinking of getting the neck cover to go with it."

A lot of riders have good things to say and the fact that I cannot find any of these products on ebay used makes me think that many people don't give them up. Another sign they work. But what about veterinarian and scientific studies? There are some of those too...

Using thermography studies, there does appear to be a large reduction in inflammation. http://www.backontrackproducts.com/Clinical-Studies-14.html#vets

All their products..

One thing I am skeptical about...the product not being able to provide enough heat to penetrate deep enough to make a difference. Superficial heat helps calm nerves, but heat that goes deep into the muscle actually helps relieve muscle pain. I have heard (and experienced) that water heat therapy works best. Perhaps trying a damp, wet, towel application would be beneficial in combination with Back On Track products.

Brace yourself though, these products are super expensive! It's worth a shot if you can spare the money. Back On Track does offer 100% satisfaction and it seems like you can re-sell these things very easily so it is relatively risk free. If you want to try a cheaper version first, try the heated moist towel or the IR wand (you can get a human version for $25!) I may try these too.

 

Compression for horsies

How a human athlete recovers from hard work-out is an insight as to how we should care for our athletic equine partner.

I run and cycle, among other sports I have tried, compression socks are amazing! They work especially well when you are on your feet all day so consider for post-horse show work.  People use them during their workouts as well and boost their athletic performance, however, I think the key time to use is post-exercise to assist in recovery. 

Compression Socks Benefits:

• Improve circulation, therefore, improving recovery time
• The microfibers support the muscles in the leg, offering support and giving your muscles a break 
• Helps relieve pain
• Helps with edema and swelling
• Reduces the risk of blood clots and Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT) 
• Helps with fatigue of muscles

2XU would be my choice in human compression socks, also they have compression items for other body parts like arms, full upper body, shoulders, full legs, and thighs.  Same with Equifit, which has compression items for other joints of the horse.

Human compression sock, comes in cute colors buy here

So if it helps with all that on humans, why wouldn't it help our best equine friend?!  Equifit seems to think so, they have a huge product line of compression type items that also emit mineral oil. Some riders use it after heavy work or during.  (people also wear compression socks during workout, but I personal feel like the difference is recovery so just throw them on after your ride).  It's the same thought concept as a standing wrap but these socks are more advance and will yield better results.

Another use for these would be to place under your brush boots to add extra protecting out on the cross country course, fox hunt, or hack through tall grass.  Also great for bed sore protection!

Gel Sock by Equifit

Recovery compression pumps would be a step up from just the compression socks, they provide all the benefits of the compression socks plus some.  In addition they assist in removing waste from the body (free radicals that form after heavy exercise) to aide in recovery.  Most pumps have a hand held or electronic piece that actually pumps you or your horse's legs.  They kind of slowly compression until hey are squeezing your left for about 1-2 minutes then release, then repeat again.  Very effective and relaxing.  

Recovery Pump For People

And the equine version, which also provides ice therapy (feasibly you could buy the equine version and use it on you!)

Equifit has ton's of other recovery and support products, so check it out.

Who uses these horse compression items, well some big names like Karen O'Conner, McLain Ward, Phillip Dutton, and much more! 

Managing your horse in the heat

I don't have a horse to ride for another few days due to hock injections, which is probably the best as this week is hot here- mid and high 90's!  The horse's body is not designed to be hot (big bodies don't rid of heat well), extra precaution should be taken when exercising a horse in these kinds of temps. Here are a few hot weather tips:

1. Skip hot rides or ride earlier in the morning or later in the evening.
2. When you do ride, try to ride where there is shade, give your horse good breaks, and monitor sweat accumulation (too much sweat probably means your horse is too hot).
3. Turnout earlier and bring in earlier or turnout at night and let the horses rest where there is shade (ie stall, shelter) during the hotest part of the day, which is usually 12-3p.
4. If turning out during the day make sure they had adequate shade from a big tree or shelter
5. Always have free choice water available (even when you are only turning out for 2 hours), if you are exercising your horse bring water so he is able to take water breaks during exercise (just like people exercising!)
• The average horse consumes 25 gallons of water a day on days over 70 degrees!
6. Salt?  Just add a tablespoon of salt to your horse's feed- unlike a salt like this ensures your horse takes the salt and is a lot cheaper.
• Salt needed when exercising your horse hard or when temp + humidity reaches 140 degrees.
7. Use less saddle pads and skip the fly sheet on hot days.
8. Bath your horse after a workout or just because on hot days.

Anhydrosis:  horses that are unable to sweat, which may make heat regulation difficult for the owner to evaluate and manage.

(Sources; http://www.doctorramey.com/horses-in-the-heat/, http://www.drsfostersmith.com/pic/article.cfm?aid=1833)