Are they worth the money? Would love to hear any experiences with this product, especially the newer version with the cuffs.
How often do you use it? Have you had any warranty issues etc. How many sessions do you get from one charge?
I have been using one owned by my horseās massage person; I use it before every ride, and also after heās cooled down (eg not wet or sweaty). Since Iām borrowing it, the most Iāve been able to use it is 2 weeks in a row, and I think my horse is more relaxed and ready to go to work more quickly. With steady use over 2 weeks, I didnāt have to charge it at all. I am seriously considering purchasing one.
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I have one. Itās the older version and I use it on my horse nearly every day. Itās awesome. I donāt know if you did a search yetā¦it has been a game changer for my horse who had a muscle injury. To me, itās been worth every penny.
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I was a complete skeptic. I was like no way this blanket that barely covers the whole body will make a difference on my horse.
The first time I used one it was someone else that came to our barn to use the bemer blanket on our horses. My mare is very suspicious of strangers touching her so she put up a huge fit while we put the blanket on her. Once it was turned on, she was totally fine. About 15 mins later she exploded - the blanket had turned off. We actually had to leave the blanket turned on while we removed it off her. I was sold!
My barn manager then bought one of the bemer blankets - I now try and use it every day. It is more of a āprepā tool than a recovery tool so I use it before my rides. My mare totally submits to it she licks and chews and yawns - and you can actually tell the second it turns off because all of a sudden her head comes up and her eyes widen. It is literally that instant.
Hopefully one day I can buy my own! Would also love to try the human version.
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I loved my Bemer experience and would love to have one. Does anyone know what the monthly payments work out to be? The current kit is nearly $5k. YIKES!
My horse hated it. Pawed and made faces the whole time. I never noticed a difference in performance
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To those who have, or have used oneā¦
How long did you use the 5 minute setting before moving to the 10 and 15?
I donāt remember how long I waited. When I first used it, my horse hated it and bucked it off (I didnāt fasten it on, just in case). Before the 30 day trial time was up, he was wearing it draped across his neck, then barrel, then hindquarters for 15 minutes each time. I usually use it that way instead of the way the shape is designed to use it. He loves it now.
Adding this-the person I bought it from knew nothing about horses. He is a people PT and sells them for people (note- I did NOT buy one for meĆ°ÅøĖā¬). When mine bucked it off, I made lots of calls to bemer people I found on line. One told me heād only had one horse react poorly- it was a mare w ovarian pain who did get better. My horse had slipped badly clowning around in the field. Soā¦maybe that was the reason he bucked it off.
I donāt have a Bemer, but I have and use daily an ActivoMed system - I absolutely believe in it. Iāve never had any horse react poorly to it and it makes a huge difference in my horseās comfort when he has chronic lyme episodes.
I have paid the barn I board at a pretty penny over the years to have them use it on my horse. I never saw one bit of difference either with short-term use OR intensive daily use during injury recovery. In my personal opinion, it falls onto the growing list of insanely expensive āsnake-oilā treatments that equestrians love to pour their money into (i.e. Bemer, Theraplate, supplements, chiro, PEMF, BOT, etc. etc.)
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I always find it so interesting to read other peopleās opinions on alternative medicine. Personally, I had a phenomenal experience working with chiro and massage therapists with my horse. But I agree, itās not for every horse and itās not for everyone. Itās not a magic solution and the changes may be too subtle for some to notice or to find worthwhile.
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Totally agree that snake oil treatments are SO common. I often roll my eyes when a trainer wants me to buy something like that. I canāt speak to the Bemer, but BoT shows instant results. I use the standing wraps and they take down any swelling/wind puffs my horse gets in a couple of hours.
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ActivoMed is another blanket I am looking at also. Have you ever had any issues with yours?
Iāve personally only used a Centurion. I had one horse that responded to it, and one that didnāt.
No, no issues, and itās been on at least one horse a day since I got it in 2018 and it was used then, so probably had another 2 years of wear on it.
Iāve been very happy with it. The company can be super flaky, though; a friend wanted one and had a hard time tracking anyone down to sell her one.
I just went on the website to read about what this blanket is. There doesnāt seem to be any description of the technology or the science. Can someone describe what this device is āforā and how it supposedly works?
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Thatās actually good to knowā¦I will say that I AM about to purchase a BOT mesh blanket for my horse - actually based solely upon the massively positive reviews of people noticing that they DO work.
I guess I am sour on a lot of these things though because to be honest, Iāve paid SO much money over the years for these ātherapiesā that people make you feel like you āneedā, but NONE of them showed results. Iām talking on a MONTHLY basis, $150.00 for the chiro. $150.00 for massage. $150.00 for the Theraplate. $150.00 for the Bemer. $100.00 in SmartPaks supplements that my horse probably just pees out. Thatās $700.00 PER MONTH on things - none of which I have personally seen to have any perceptible benefit. Personally, I feel like you could slap a $150.00 price tag on a bottle of air, brand it as āEquiAirā and if you told equestrians to dump it into their horseās feed every day, theyād happily do it if it was the latest fad. So yes, to your point, now I just āroll my eyesā at most of it!
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As someone mentioned above, not everything works for every horse. I had zero luck w BOT for my horse, and chiropractics did nothing. Nor did acupuncture. I also bought that titanium sheet- no help there, either. Itās certainly unfortunate we sometimes waste a lot of money on things that donāt work. The bemer does help my horse (and I only use it on him). I justified the cost when I realized how much I was spending on other things other people came to do. I can do this every single day myself, which may be part of the reason itās worked so well for us.
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The best money I spend is on chiropractor. I am lucky to have a good one because I have spent money on bad ones thatās for sure.
If I could only afford one therapy it would definitely be chiro.
As far as the BOT stuff. The sheets keep my clipped horses warm, the quick wraps protect their legs in the trailer and the no bows have worked for windpuffs. But wrapping with plain no bows also works for windpuffs.
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See and I LOVE the chiro for my horse! But I think they are like people in the sense that Iām sure youāve gotten a massage, or manicure/pedicure and hated the way someone massages your back or feet and didnāt do anything for you. So, every horse is different. Another reason why there is so much snake oil. What works for some horses does not work on all!
We have the mesh blanket and have noticed my horses back is less tense/sore (especially helpful during weeks of consistent showing, not this year obviously). This is a great time of year to get it too because they do provide more warmth than your typical stable sheet. I think following the instructions with BoT products is important! I also bought a BoT knee brace for my dad who has sports related injuries and he wears it all the time, he loves it!
sorry to OP to have gotten off topic. FWIW Iāve been wanting to try the Bemer because Iāve heard great things, and not just from trainers who are sponsored by them!
