Photo courtesy of Rammfence.com
Welcome to our new series, Extreme Equine Spa Treatments, where we scour the equestrian industry for the weirdest, wow-fullest, most expensive pony pampering mechanisms available. This is both to inspire awe at the technology and prowess of the equine health industry, and also to gawk at the money people will spend to keep horses going for as long as possible.
As the weather starts to cool and a nip enters the air, this is one equine gadget we wouldn’t mind spending a little time with ourselves this fall and winter. We’re talking top notch Solarium Heating and Drying devices. Think of it as like a giant french fry heat lamp for your horse, only it’s like, a good thing.
Solariums emit Infra-Red rays that provide a type of artificial sunlight, and studies suggest this light can improve your horse’s condition, health, and even their competitive performance.
Photo courtesy of Silver Shadow Solariums.
According to one vendor,
“Solariums can help improve your horses performance and condition. The heat energy penetrates the skin into the underlying muscle and helps stimulate blood circulation, this improves muscle elasticity, therefore helping recovery from and reduction of injuries. A pre-exercise warm up under the solarium will relax muscles and improve training performance by increasing blood circulation.”
Solariums help your horse to recover quicker after exercise as the stimulated circulation allows the muscles to absorb blood sugars more quickly and speeds up the elimination of waste products from them.”
Photo courtesy of Q Line Horse Solariums.
Solariums also have some practical purpose in genuinely warming a cold body and even speeding up the drying process after a bath, which in winter can be a huge game changer.
In many cases, the lamps are carefully designed to follow the contours of a horse’s back to reach the muscles in specific areas, and fans are designed to help trap heat near the horse and not escape into the ether.
There are a shocking number of options for the lamps that include everything from extra UV lights for horses who need additional sunlight synthesis, timers, and even more elaborate designs that include “surround sound” treatment in combination with vibrating floors and more.
At least one company also combines the basic infra-red technology with “color light therapy” which provides glorified mood lighting to get your horse in gear. So help me, if a horse supplied with daily mood lighting has any complaints about its 45-minute training session, I will have some words for it about first-world horse problems.
The price range on anything Solarium related is insanely vast. There are some more affordable models that start at around $1,000 for just a handful of bulbs and not many bells and whistles, while the full body treatments can easily exceed $20,000. Not to mention the necessary extras like replacement bulbs and dedicated barn space to the device.
Among the big fans of Solariums are a number of world class show jumpers, eventers, Dressage Queens, and in fact, REAL Queens: Queen Elizabeth II has solariums for the royal horses – both ceremonial and competitive ponies get to spend some time under the cozy lights by royal decree.
If you’re not the Queen of England but still looking for a way to give your beloved partner the Royal Treatment,
Draper Therapies has a terrific line of FDA determined medical therapy products for practically every muscle and extremity on your beloved beast.
From hock boots to full-body coolers, Draper’s celliant technology can markedly improve your horse’s health and longevity. Click below for more details.