• Tendon Injuries
• Sore Shins and Jarring up
• Strains
• Inflammation of knees, fetlocks and hocks
• Windgalls
• Ligament damage
• Laminitis and Foot related problems
• Promoting hoof growth
• Flesh wounds
• Cracked heels
• Mud Fever
• Soft Tissue Damage
How our spa works:
Temperature—
The water temperature is constantly maintained to between 2—4°c, scientific studies have proven that this is the optimum temperature for promoting rapid and good quality healing.
Salt concentration—
The concentration of the salt and water quality in our spa is
monitored daily to levels that scientific studies have proven to be the optimum for removing swelling from a horses’ legs through the basic scientific principle of osmosis. The salt solution also keeps wounds clean and has a natural antibiotic affect.
Spa Action—
The spa jets are aimed directly at the horses legs so the circulating water gently massages the legs which at the same time increases
oxygen levels in the water. The aeration and massage action of our spa increases blood circulation to speed tissue re-growth and healing.
Water Depth—
We have full control of the depth of the water to ensure it gives the best coverage for healing.
We also undertake daily water quality checks on the pH and Chlorine levels and adjust them accordingly for optimum cleanliness and the horses comfort.
Case Studies:
As recommended by VetCell Bioscience, a company specialising in stem cell therapy and regenerative medicine, the current ‘Best Practice’ for the treatment of tendon or ligament injuries, is the use of hydrotherapy during the acute stages of the disease followed by implantation of the horses own stem cells. Following implantation the horses are placed on an ascending exercise regime with hydrotherapy advocated after 3 months and thereafter until the horse returns to full fitness. Greg McGarrell, CEO of VetCell reports “our results have shown horses that underwent rehabilitation following stem cell treatment at centres with experienced staff and facilities such as the Panama Spa have the highest return to performance ratio”.
Racing phenomenon 'Red Rum' was, in his early days, plagued by a potentially crippling foot disease which could have ended his career. Then Ginger McCain took him on and banished him to the sea, he trained all his horses on Southport beach and within weeks he was fit and ready to run. The rest is history....
An Australian manufactured spa was donated to the University of Sydney to facilitate clinical trails and establish an independent verdict on the benefits of cold water hydrotherapy. The trials were conducted by Professor E R Hunt, MVSc, PhD, G Dip Ed (Tert) who has 30 years equine veterinary experience and described himself as the archetypical skeptic prior to the commencement of the trials. The first trials were conducted during winter and the results were very encouraging.
However as winter turned to summer Professor Hunt found it difficult to replicate the early positive results. Only when they experimented with different water temperatures was it ascertained that the lower ambient winter temperatures had a major impact on the outcome. Once the optimum temperature of the water was known, further trails established the optimum salination of the water, and it was historically well documented that the salt in sea water had a significant anti-inflammatory effect. Having established the optimum conditions required to facilitate healing, clinical trials were conducted on 27 horses initially. Many leg injuries were treated and all responded well showing an improvement after treatment.