says, “I first used the TheraPlate on my show horses. It was easy to take to shows and set up. They came off it relaxed, feeling loose, and warmed-up. I stand on it before big classes to keep me feeling good and have added it to the therapy program on my rehab horses. My vets have fallen in love with it! For horses on stall rest or hand-walking, they come off rehab healing faster and feeling more fit.”
Nathan Piper, a reining horse trainer in Texas, learned about it from Tana McKay, coach for the NCAA Texas A&M University equestrian team. “She told me about a horse with soundness issues that I used to show who was doing great. The difference was so remarkable I decided to call Chip and look into the TheraPlate. He let me try one on my futurity horses and I was hooked. I felt a difference right away, got my own TheraPlate, and started putting horses on it. I had a great Futurity and TheraPlate kept the horses feeling great and ready to compete. It is now a huge part of my program,” says Piper, who qualified horses for both the Open and
Intermediate NRHA Finals.
“Within my dressage program, the TheraPlate has made sense,” says Rebecca Rigdon, who trains at Steffen and Shannon Peters’ Arroyo Del Mar facility in California. “I can honestly tell a difference in my horses if they have been on the plate before I ride – it helps to increase blood circulation and aids in warming up muscles – they are more supple from the beginning. I put them on the plate for 20 minutes a day, twice a day if they have come off a long trip or are a little stiff for any reason.”
When asked how willing horses are to step on the TheraPlate, Kreiling assures, “There was no reason to build this if horses weren’t going to step on willingly. This may be the craziest idea I’ve had, but it works crazy good. John Lyons
tried the TheraPlate at an expo, and his horse Gracie stepped up, we turned it on, and she never moved a muscle. If they do step off, it is only six inches off the platform. For 95% of horses, it’s not an issue.”
Helping horses feel and perform better isn’t crazy, but it might just be revolutionary.
For more info, see
www.theraplate.com
Holistic Horse™ • February/March 2012 • Vol.19, Issue 77
www.holistichorse.com | 23
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32