business profile
“TheraPlate is similar to many WBV (Whole Body Vibration) technologies gaining popularity,” Kreiling says about his equine therapy, rehabilitation and sports conditioning platform. “It is important to point out that this isn’t ‘shaking’ a horse like a bumpy truck ride, which is a common misperception. We have created an engineered energy wave that is different from mass- produced ‘shake machines’ being marketed as exercise programs. Our proprietary 4 Zone Vortex Wave design is the result of more than thirty years of working with this type of technology in the treatment and prevention of injuries and debilitating conditions.”
Based on peer-reviewed studies (see links at
www.theraplate.com), the TheraPlate can benefit digital cushion circulation, hoof growth, bone density and muscle mass, reduce swelling and inflammation, improve fracture healing, founder/ navicular, joint issues and balance, and reduce pain and stress.
Helping Horses Feel and Perform Better by L.A. Pomeroy
The TheraPlate™ Revolution
T
oday’s equine health community is a-buzz about a neuromuscular training method that uses low
amplitude, high frequency stimulation of the body to improve muscle strength, balance, and bone, and reduce recovery time from wounds and injuries.
A horse (or human) stands on a platform that generates vibratory stimuli through the body, where sensory receptors, such as muscle spindles responsible for muscle contraction, and alpha motor neurons, which innervate skeletal muscle, are activated. Research suggests this offers positive physiological effects on skin blood flow (SBF study 2008/Loma Linda [CA] University), flexibility (WBV Adjunct to Stretching study
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www.holistichorse.com
2010, Brigham Young University), and increases bone mineral density and leg strength (BMD study 2011/Institute of Medical Physics, Germany).
In 2008, a man who grew up among big horses – Percherons – had a big idea: bring this technology’s benefits to horse owners. Chip Kreiling of Weatherford, Texas, sketched a prototype unit on a cocktail napkin and ran it by some friends in the durable medical goods industry. Did they think his design could become reality? Their answer was yes and after a series of prototypes, the TheraPlate™ Revolution began.
“For us, it’s about the horses. This is an American-made product made in an American manufacturing facility and the people who work for us are horse people. We’re hoping this changes things for the better for horses, through a safe, cost-effective, whole-body solution. We also make human products, have used the technology on bucking bulls, dogs, and cats, and offer custom products including whole stall systems.”
A standard TheraPlate measures seven- feet long by three-feet wide, and is raised only five to six inches off the ground (ensuring a safe step up or down for horses and ponies). While boasting a capacity of 3,000 pounds, it is light and easy enough for two people to carry in two 75- pound sections, and has a lifetime warranty
on its aircraft aluminum- quality frame, and five-year maintenance-free warranty on its vortex wave motor.
HITS-Thermal and USHJA hunter/ jumper champion, Hope Glynn, of Sonoma Valley Stables in California,
Holistic Horse™ • February/March 2012 • Vol.19, Issue 77
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