Let me know what you think of it! I’m debating between theraplate or equivibe.
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Forgive my complete stupidity, please, but what is a “neck horse”?
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It’s just a term for a horse with neck problems, like cervical spine arthritis e.g.
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Thanks so much! I googled it, but couldn’t find it.
I rented a Theraplate from a friend last year so can give a brief rundown on the differences I noticed:
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Theraplate is WAY heavier. But it has handles whereas the EquiVibe doesn’t. I can maneuver the EquiVibe myself (not across the barn but within reason) which was impossible with the Theraplate
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The Theraplate was louder, but it had higher settings than the EquiVibe (TP went to 100 and EV goes to 60 IIRC).
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Theraplate has an app with treatment settings and EquiVibe has 2 pages of instructions which is a bit lacking, IMO.
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The Theraplates connected together so you controlled both plates with one control box. The EquiVibe plates each have their own control box which I suppose gives you the flexibility of having the plates on different settings, though I don’t know why you would ever want to. For me, it’s inconvenient dealing with that many cords and having to turn on and set both boxes.
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The EquiVibe is cheaper and offers financing. I got mine for $3800 (I believe TP runs a bit over $5K) which seems to be about what they resale for (or $3500) on Facebook which was a huge plus for me. The rough plan is to use it and resell after rehab is over/ her hoof has healed (unless of course I love it, though I don’t see many uses for it outside of hoof issues). This seems easier with the EquiVibe as there was a bigger market for used EV on Facebook vs TP.
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I have 0 proof for this, but according to EV’s marketing they use up and down vibration and TP uses side to side. The up down is supposedly better as it mimics the impact of natural movement (walking, jogging etc). Again, no proof they vibrate differently OR that one type of vibration is better but it is somewhat worth noting as a difference.
I don’t foresee the horse having a preference of one vs the other. I think they operate similarly enough that going for whichever suits the human needs (budget, ease of use, etc) will be fine.
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Interesting, thank you! I am considering getting either the regular equivibe or the lighter version of the theraplate. I didn’t realize the equivibe was lower in price than the regular sized theraplate. How interesting
Based on the dramatic change in the new growth coming in, it looks like you’re about 3-4 months away from really reaping the benefits of the change in trimming. The magic happens when the new angle reaches about halfway down the toe wall.
It’s great that she is so comfortable in the boots. She’s been through a lot, and she sounds like a trooper.
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Not much to update - she’s been getting her EquiVibe twice a day and PEMF in the mornings, and day turnout since we’ve been having an unusually mild and dry fall/ early winter. I’m hoping to have her out full time (when it’s dry) after her recheck on the first. The Equine Fusion boots came and I’m a bit disappointed. I really thought I/ she would like them more than we do. Despite getting sizing help from the company, the LF boot twists and both boots make her feet sweat like no other which isn’t really what you want when trying to keep the foot dry. Oh and the zippers gave me a hell of a time this morning trying to get them off. I’ve been rotating 12 hrs of those and 12 of the Cavallos. I can’t return since she wore them, so I might as well keep them and try to make them work.
As far as her hooves go, the LF seems to be improving nicely - all of the “funk” she had from being in the shoes is gone, her frog is starting to widen and her toe is back in a better spot. The RF is improving too, just more slowly. I did notice yesterday how contracted and weak her RF heels/ caudal foot is compared to the LF. Should have grabbed a photo, suppose I can do that today. I’m itching to get some “after” comparison photos (as far as after pulling shoes and starting the EquiVibe), just trying to wait patiently 
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Some photos of the stocks we built for the EquiVibe and her getting her therapy sessions in (red light and PEMF), the new Jogging boots, and a before/ after trim photo of her RH using the Metron camera accessory I had ordered (please be kind if critiquing the trim, I am still/ always learning):
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I like the stocks you built!
I have the easy boot clouds and I like them, they are easy to get on and off. But pretty much every hoof boot causes some condensation in them from the hoof just getting rid of moisture, so I’m not sure how effective they would be for your case.
It’s hard to critique the trim without photos of from the front and underneath.
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I realize that infections and inflammation are different. However, one of my mares had a deep hock wound that luckily didn’t go into the joint. We treated her with antibiotics for three weeks. Wound healed, mare went back to work, everything fine.
Months later, she came up lame on that leg. Took her to New Bolton for scan. The bone underneath the wound site was eaten away in a lollipop form. Vets said it was from inflammation and couldn’t give me a prognosis. They prescribed DMSO with Azium to be painted on twice a day and, obviously, time off. They had no idea if she would ever be sound again.
Nine months of treatment later, she was trotting and cantering sound in the pasture. Took her back for another scan. Not only was the inflammation gone, but her body had laid back bone into the lollipop-shaped area where the bone had been destroyed. Never had a problem with that leg again. Before I lost her years later, she was training Fourth level.
Again, infection and inflammation are different, but could something like DMSO be used to more directly carry an antibiotic into the coffin bone? Obviously, I’m not a vet and it’s probably a ridiculous idea, but just thought I would ask.
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This is a very informative post. I knew a vet years ago who used DMSO to take cortisone into a knee joint.
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I think we need a chemist to weigh in on if the antibiotic can be ‘taken in’ by the DMSO. 5+ years ago (so take this with a grain of memory loss salt) I posed the question to one of my chem professors about if DMSO could be used to carry other meds into the body, or if the DMSO was going in and leaving whatever it was mixed with behind. She looked into it and told me it depended on what you were mixing in with it, but it was possible.
Though, even if it could, I’m not sure if it would end up at the coffin bone or just in the outer tissues and circulatory system.
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The hock injury would be the perfect site to make use of DMSO because the bone is sitting there right under the skin. The coffin bone would be much harder to reach. I do wonder though whether applying the DMSO at the true tip of the frog, where it meets the sole, might get through.
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Not to be a Debbie downer but there is research done theraplate etc have 0 positive effect on the horses other than relaxing them. Red light therapy or Bemer is probably a better bet. Don’t throw your money away.
I think going with boots is a good idea over shoes.
Thanks for sharing the progress.
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@Jealoushe My research shows otherwise - it has very specifically been studied to show an increase in hoof growth which is the only thing I expect of it (study here: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29793151/ ). I also do the red light and PEMF (though not Bemer, I’m not fortunate enough to own one of those) which I find to help with inflammation and pain (using it on myself, the red light is awesome for pain).
I will have a more in-depth update on Wednesday after her first follow/ xray recheck.
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Thank you for this! I will update my knowledge bank! The study I read was on injuries etc so that’s great about hoof growth. I appreciate the link.
Which red light do you have? We are looking at getting one.
Hmm, see what from what I’ve seen the theraplate/equivibe has more research behind it (both human and horse) while the red light therapy has been shown to be more placebo than actually working.
Hi. Chemist here.
If the substance is soluble in DMSO (which many things are) it makes sense that the DMSO could carry the substance (solute) with it. We were taught to be very careful when using it as a solvent, especially when using it to dissolve toxic substances such as NaCN. But it’s not going to carry it any further (much further?) than the DMSO penetrates. And I’m not sure how far the DMSO penetrates through the skin and further inward. I do know that if you out a drop of DMSO on your hand it does “disappear” and you “taste” the DMSO. So the DMSO must make it somewhat into the body, but it may not be in amounts that are going to dissolve much solute. It doesn’t seem to take much DMSO at all to get the taste sensation.
Side note and warning - most of the gloves that people wear when handling DMSO are fairly useless (ref - https://www.augusta.edu/services/ehs/chemsafe/PDF%20files/gloveselechart.pdf and scroll down to page 11; red is bad). I double gloved with latex when using it with NaCN and was very careful; this was in an era when gloves weren’t routinely worn in chem lab and people ate in research labs. 
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Glad to have you chime in. Sounds like about what I thought; possible but probably not helpful unless the infection is very shallow.
I’ve always assumed the taste came when it made it to the circulatory system. Just a bit of something IV injected can be tasted by patients. Some even can taste the saline when it’s injected.
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Me! I’m one of the lucky ones that tastes the saline and for me, it is nasty.
Her follow up yesterday went so well! She was a bit off at the trot, which I blame on the fact that both horses got out the day before and were running around like hooligans, but the vet was otherwise happy with her soundness at this point. She had NO reaction to hoof testers which blew me away as even months before the abscesses/ infection she was always reacting due to her thin soles. The surgery site looks great, it’s healed up very well and just has to grow out. Her radiographs showed no areas of concern and the bone is so much healthier looking than before surgery. Lastly, she appeared to grow a good amount of sole! The vet measured it at 15mm, roughly, which I could almost cry over as less than 2 years ago she was sitting at 3mm. So whatever we are doing seems to be working! Now to slowly adapt what we have been doing to a more maintenance/ long term sustainable routine. They haven’t sent me the radiographs yet, but I will post them when I get them!
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