The Equilibrium Heatsense Massage Pad is based on the popular
Equilibrium Massage Pad, with the addition of heat! Used reguarly, both massage and heat combined can have a wide array of benefits for all horses, including those on box rest to maintain good blood flow, and after exercise to help support recovery. The pad can also be used before exercise as part of your horse's warm up, or on your horse's day off as part of a maintenance programme.
With the option of heat and three intensities of massage, this Equilbrium Pad can be used exactly as your horse needs it. Heat is non-invasive, gentle, and well accepted with many associated benefits, including:
- Maintaining good oxygen supply to muscles.
- Encouraging muscle relaxation.
- Increasing flexibility and elasticity of tissue.
Using heat is a great way to help sensitive horses who may find massage too much. Research suggests that tissue temperature needs to increase by at least 3 to 5°C from the resting temperature (Bockstahler et al, 2004). Amongst many other sources, AAEVT’s Equine Manual for Veterinary Technicians by Martha Mallicote from University of Florida, et al states: ‘Applying heat at temperatures of 40-45°C for 15-30 minutes results in vasodilation, increasing blood flow.’
Massage has shown to help reduce back stiffness caused by injury and long-term chronic conditions such as arthritis. It does this by increasing the blood supply to the affected muscles and removing the build-up of toxins. Tension is often one of the most common reasons for poor performance and by increasing relaxation and improving back flexibility; the negative effects of tension can be reduced. Relaxed muscles will assist with flexibility and movement in particular for competition horses performing dressage movements and jumping technical fences.
Shaped to follow the contours of the horse’s back, the Heatsense Pad ensures coverage from withers to quarters and provides battery-operated 30-minute sessions, with three different, easily adjustable programs that allow you to choose the intensity of the massage to suit your horse's needs – high, medium and low – which can be selected easily from the attached controller. Each program has three different types of massage – pulsing, vibration and stroking – to ensure muscles are worked in different ways by the six evenly distributed motors. There are two motors either side of the wither, two mid-way down the pad and another two behind the saddle area. The careful design of the massage pad then facilitates the spread of the massage along the back muscles.
The heating element is housed within the back third of the Massage Pad and heats a gel pad, which in turn will heat the horse. This ensures that the heat is evenly dispersed and consistent. It also acts as a safety barrier. This part of the Massage Pad also has a sensor to ensure the horse doesn’t overheat, for example when using the pad in warmer weather or after exercise when the horse is naturally warm.
The Equilibrium Heatsense Massage Pad can be easily incorporated into your warming up and cooling down routine. The medium setting is ideal to warm up muscles before exercise, the low setting can be used to cool down after work, and the high setting for when your horse requires a more intense massage.