[Finzean]

It might be nice to be able to take it off and throw it in the washer and have a clean horse underneath. Seeing as how today I ended up just carving out a clean spot for my saddle and calling it good enough....

https://www.facebook.com/#!/photo.ph...type=1&theater

Since this is what I'm usually dealing with:
https://www.facebook.com/#!/photo.ph...type=1&theater

TOTALLY feel your pain - our grey pony goes by the nick name Pig Pen!

[Finzean]

I didn't see it in the product description but does this item come with a vial of tranquilizer and a few bottles of wine??

[lrp1106]

I wonder if it's related to the thunder shirts (?) they sell for dogs.

If it is/uses the same technology, then I'd be willing to believe it works. The Thunder Shirt completely changed my poor little petrified lab. We would leave him outside in our big yard during the day. Our backyard has a pool and pool house, which has a large covered porch thing, so he had a nice shelter and a big dog bed.
If it rained during the day, he would find a way to jump a TWELVE FOOT FENCE.
Keeping him inside during the days we weren't home wasn't an option, but the thunder shirt worked wonders.
(Great, now I sound like a walking ad)

[DMK]

It looks ridiculous, and probably fairly useless for day to day routines but I guess if my horse was on a 30 hour flight*, standing still, I think it would be a pretty good investment.

Listening to Black Caviar's trainer, apparently human athletes wear similar gear when on long flights to maximize blood flow to tissues, etc. Not sure if there is science behind that, but we know about the worst thing you can do to an equine athlete is have them stand still for 13 hours, never mind 30...

* please note this is a first world problem I am sure I will never have

[Carly.89]

A few eventers use these.. Boyd Martin to name one, especially after cross country at Rolex, when i was there Grooming for BDJ this year i saw it after cross country and it was very interesting, but i tell ya what his horses jogged up sound and relaxed the next day!

[vxf111]

his horses jogged up sound and relaxed the next day!

As did approximately 95% of the horses that DIDN'T wear the suit?! And if memory served, the same horses wearing the suite usually usted to jog sound and relaxed even before the started wearing their horsey-batman-wetsuit.

[Carly.89]

i was just simply stating that ive seen it used and the horses didn't seem to mind it at all or seem bothered by it... no need to throw out there that i didn't know the other horses didn't jog up sound. you all asked if anyone has ever seen it used or know anyone that has used it.

[vxf111]

I know I didn't ask whether anyone had seen it in use. I don't see anyone else on this thread asking either.

I just find it a pretty expensive and silly marketing gimmick and it's got a lot of claims backed up be seemingly no data.

[GingerJumper]

If it works like a compression type suit in humans does, then it probably would be worth it for some horses. Not sure I'd drop $600 for it, though... It'd be cheaper to tailor XXXXL Under Armour into a more horse-friendly shape.

[harvestmoon]

No, you didn't ask, but people decided to share. It's a discussion board, they were discussing.

You think it is a waste of money, that's fine. I have no use for the thing, either. Others might, and they might think it's worth it. Not my money, not my problem.

[wcporter]

I bet if I made D where one he'd probably end up looking like a fat man in a Speedo

[vxf111]

No, you didn't ask, but people decided to share. It's a discussion board, they were discussing.

You think it is a waste of money, that's fine. I have no use for the thing, either. Others might, and they might think it's worth it. Not my money, not my problem.

Happy to have commentary and discussion.

Just trying to put context to Carly.89's post. Just because X happens before Y does not make the two related. All the claims for this product seem to be wholly unstantiated, as far as I can tell. The fact that a horse or two wore it and then performed well is not indicative that the suit in any way caused the good performance.

[MHM]

The fact that a horse or two wore it and then performed well is not indicative that the suit in any way caused the good performance.

So true for so many things we use on our horses!

[HPFarmette]

I wonder if it's related to the thunder shirts (?) they sell for dogs.

My thought exactly.

[vxf111]

Agree wholeheartedly that as a group we horse people are pretty accepting of "scientific" claims that lack data. I guess we'd do anything for our horses!

[alto]

Agree wholeheartedly that as a group we horse people are pretty accepting of "scientific" claims that lack data. I guess we'd do anything for our horses!

I don't CARE about the Science - I just WANT to see FP in one

hmmm I wonder if we can send it back if it doesn't meet expectations (based upon advertising claims ) or if it utterly loses the Teeth Investigation???




Unlike some posters I have no doubt that FP would stand quietly for suiting



- at least the first time

[cu.at.x]

That's hilarious. Even if I had $600 to spend on something like that....why? Just why?

[kmwines01]

Doesn't seem that much crazier than magnets or ceramic fibers.... Lots of other athletes wear compression gear after games/during games, etc. Look at any football player, they wouldn't survive without compression gear I"ll bet they'll tell you. And it works for people worried about clotting disorders. If I invested that much money to get a horse to those incredible levels I'd probably throw 600 bucks at making it feel even slightly, a teensy bit better after traveling halfway around the world. Probably wouldn't use it for my horse for a two hour trailer ride but you never know. Could be a cool thing. Here's a link to an article about Stuart Tinney using them on his horses.

And as to using things on horses that only have a scientific backing... Icing and cold water hosing for soft tissue injuries is still not scientifically proven and has no best therapeutical protocol determined by scientific literature. Lots of things that people do with horses have limited studies showing efficacy. Doesn't stop people from using them or doing them.

[Come Shine]

They might be great for the horse but what about the poor groom who gets nailed when they try and do up that back zipper? The fellow in the video basically had to sit down in front of the horse's back legs to do it up.

It's one thing to see them put it on a well mannered, sedate horse. I would want to see a video of a newbie putting it on a greenie for the first time.

[LordWentworth]

Doesn't seem that much crazier than magnets or ceramic fibers.... Lots of other athletes wear compression gear after games/during games, etc. Look at any football player, they wouldn't survive without compression gear I"ll bet they'll tell you. And it works for people worried about clotting disorders. If I invested that much money to get a horse to those incredible levels I'd probably throw 600 bucks at making it feel even slightly, a teensy bit better after traveling halfway around the world. Probably wouldn't use it for my horse for a two hour trailer ride but you never know. Could be a cool thing. Here's a link to an article about Stuart Tinney using them on his horses.

And as to using things on horses that only have a scientific backing... Icing and cold water hosing for soft tissue injuries is still not scientifically proven and has no best therapeutical protocol determined by scientific literature. Lots of things that people do with horses have limited studies showing efficacy. Doesn't stop people from using them or doing them.

Yup. I agree completely. And as for those saying that other jogged up sound as well, I don't want my high level horse "just jogging sound" before their next big competition. I want them to feel like a million bucks (especially if they're worth that or more). When you do a sport were tenths or thousandths of a second make all the difference, you'd want to give your horse every possible (legal) advantage. I won't be getting one for my guy any time soon, but he's definitely not going to the olympics.