Used one for a brief time when I was in Ocala. Didn’t notice anything miraculous on my mare, but she was always ready to stand quietly on it. Ours was a little loud once you were on a higher vibration, and that thing was the hardest thing to clean (each time my mare was on it, she was so relaxed she relieved herself).
I will say another gelding at the barn was noticeably more fluid and less stiff if warmed up on it before, and another mares wind puffs went down considerably.
Our barn and lay up facility have them and the are great. I actually stand on it too 
It feels good. It’s kind of like a stimulating massage.
Probably depends on what the horses issue is but after using myself I don’t think it can hurt them.
wasn’t there a rep at Rolex? We stood on something similar and it felt amazing. I have chronic pain in lower legs/ankles/feet and I felt great when I was done.
I am a “show me the science” kind of person.
HOW does it work? What tests have been performed and what results (not just “the horse felt better”) have been verified?
That is a lot of money to spend on something that “the horse likes to stand on, he seems more relaxed”.
I know everyone in the show world is looking for “the better mousetrap” that does not include forbidden drugs, but before dropping $6000, I want to see objective results.
I can see that it would loosen up a horse who has been standing in a stall all day. But so will 15 minutes of walking and slow trotting before starting to work
I know many people who love their Theraplate and says it does wonders for their horse. With that said, you are NOT going to see results with Theraplate unless you use it on a daily basis, 2-3xday.
However, I have also heard of studies that look at the vibration and how it potentially could be bad for the bones.
So just like anything else, take it with a grain of salt. If it works for your horse, great! Keep on doing it. If it doesn’t, move on.
SCIENCE OR IT DIDN’T HAPPEN. Anecdotes are not evidence.
And honestly as horse people who love animals aren’t we all fairly easy marks? I know I have to constantly resist the temptation to buy or try anything for my beloved partner. (I’m the worst at this. It’s ridiculous.)
I recently read a study that reported negative effects from vibration therapy in horses. I tried to do a quick internet search to find it but it didn’t show up or I would link it.
Insist on science before spending your $$$ on any kind of therapy/equipment.
Welcome to COTH!!
[QUOTE=HealHorses;6878481]
I have been using it since the first of December and have seen some amazing results both on my horse and my friends horse. My horse is a 7 yeah old OTTB who I got in Sept. had been ridden 3 times in the past year. Started bringing him back and his stifles started locking up. Did accupuncture and some chiropractic and started him on antiflammatory drugs. Started the Theraplate and he’s doing so much better! I warm him up on it-groom and tack up and it’s as if I’ve been riding for 20-30 min. His stifles are not locking up anymore! His accupuncture is lasting a lot longer and he is off the anti inflammatory meds.
Second case my friend has a TB mare who was so locked up in her shoulder she could barley walk. We put her on the plate and saw immediate results. Two weeks after the chiropractor came to give her an adjustment. Put her on plate 20 min before he came. She normally anxious and very figidity. She stood beautifully and he was very amazed at how much more he could adjust on her. It was a miracle, we turned her out and she galloped free for the first time ever! She couldn’t believe she was moving pain free.
All the horses I have put on it once they trust it LOVE it. For mine it’s their happy place and they do not want to get off. Oh another thing I did was put my trainers horses on it when I was helping her tack up. About horse number 3 she was like this is weird all the horses are working great today. She was very impressed.
The studies I’ve heard about are healing injuries 30-50% faster. A friend used for a deep digital flexor 21mm tear and was back to work in 3 months.
I’ve used it with my Wounded Warrior Veterans that I teach and they like it. Really has helped with his balance issues. A friend who is a PT is using it on stroke patients. Personally I’ve had low back issues for 20 years and get flare ups occasionally and will lay on my horse plate and it immediately gives me relief.
So I guess you could say I’m very impressed with it! Give it a try is 100%money back guarantee! Any other questions just post and I’ll help anyone I can.[/QUOTE]
Welcome to COTH to you as well!!!
[QUOTE=Tallyho1313;6888272]
I have been using the Plate for over two years now and cannot imagine not having it for either myself or my horse! My barn pals always whine when I take it to a show for a weekend and they don’t have access to it! For us it’s just part of my daily warm up and cool down… 15-20min before and after work each day. My guy is 13 yo and does upper level dressage work so he works really hard! My girl friends horse had a 21mm supsensory tear that we rehabbed on the plate (she also did shock wave twice) and the mare had a full & complete recovery and has been 100% sound for over 18 months and is back into full work. We’ve also used it for colic on several horses with amazing relief. And of course we all use if for ourselves! Plus we always have friends coming over with various aches and pains that use the plate too. Can’t say enough positive things about the TheraPlate! Every barn should have one!![/QUOTE]
We have a theraplate, and each horse gets it 1-2 times a day! The horses definitely feel more supple after going on it before a ride. Not to mention how good my sore muscles feel after standing on it during a horses session!
While I do agree that science is important, sometimes it is hard to “prove” what works and what doesn’t. Theraplate will give you tons of science that their product works, as any company would do for their product. (It’s up to the consumer to decipher the “science”.)
And you have to remember that horses are also individuals and what works for one horse may not work for the next. Science may say it’s supposed to help, but in reality it might not. (if that horse doesn’t respond to it)
I don’t have a Theraplate so I can’t speak for it, but talking about another “voo doo” 
thing for horses is BOT wraps. I bought a set for my horse Red and I used them for a while but just really couldn’t say I noticed that much difference. UNTIL I had an overnight stay at a big barrel race. It tremendously helped him not to stock up in his stall, which he tends to do because he’s not used to being stalled. So all science aside, I know they help with circulation because I’ve seen it myself!
If the product seems to help your horse, then by all means. Science is only half the story.
First, I love all the first time posters on this thread that LOVE the product. Nothing makes me say “Run!” faster than product reps not identifying themselves as such.
Second, if there was scientific evidence that this product works that would be proof.
theraplate users
its a circular motion not a vertical motion. it makes some people with low blood pressure dizzy and some people with heart issues dizzy.
it is presented by the owner (of thereaplate) as such with a display of a wallet going around.
concerning would be the lowering of blood pressure in the horses as this would be significant if the horse was put on right before a class
owning another vibrating plate which doesn’t do this has solidified this equipment’s needs at our facility.
past owner of theraplate and distributor
this post is for information purposes only, not to put anyone down, just to share personal experiences.
My horse gets a free “therapate session” to a from shows. It’s called riding on the trailer and enjoying the vibrations.
Two years and our friends who joined COTH just to post on this thread still haven’t posted anything else.
Bumping this back up to see if anyone has more to report on their experiences. My vet actually recommended this to me and I’d like to hear more. Anyone???
[QUOTE=beau159;8217731]
Theraplate will give you tons of science that their product works[/QUOTE]
No, they will not. Theraplate will tell you all about how their technology is unique, using a circular motion as opposed to other types of whole body vibration (WBV) therapies. Then, when asked for proof that it really does work, they will refer you back to the WBV literature published in other species using other types of technology. There has been ZERO peer reviewed research published on the benefits (or not) of Theraplate. There really isn’t any incentive for them to conduct this research. The studies are expensive, and people will buy the product without any proof anyway.
While WBV may have benefits for bone and soft tissue, there has been exactly one study that looked at what it actually does to the joints. In sum, it does very, VERY bad things to articular cartilage…even if the test subjects seemed to “enjoy” the sessions.
As more of these units are sold, an increasing number of horses are experiencing repeated Theraplate “sessions.” It would be very interesting (and likely terrifying) to see what their joints look like after several months, or even years.
Humans can experience nerve damage from chronic exposure to vibrations. My understanding is that the “circular” vibration is supposed to prevent that, but I haven’t read anything to support it.
We had one on trial for a few months and while most horses didn’t mind standing on it, we didn’t see any anecdotal difference to justify the price.
I made the mistake of wearing cute but completely flat shoes one day at nationals when I logged about 7 miles of walking. By night time GP classes I was really feeling it. I hopped on the demo theraplate for a few minutes. I actually had uncomfortable numbness and weird tingling for about 4 hours afterwards. Obviously, I am not a horse and was using a horse product, but it wasn’t a pleasant experience.
Until I see some published findings and longitudinal research, I’m not sold. I’d rather use something like back on track, which worst case is ineffective but not dangerous.
Respectfully, beau159, it’s not science if it doesn’t link directly to a properly conducted, controlled and reproducible study published in a respected professional journal, not a marketing PR hack publication.
“Stories” and nice quotes from important people in the field are not proof. I have seen nothing from the manufacturer that begins to approach anything resembling actual science.
There was a study presented at the 2015 Equine Science Society meeting that found that using the Theraplate on stall-rested horses maintained bone density levels equivalent to horses in light work. I don’t believe that there was a no exercise/strict stall rest control group available for comparison, so take that for what it’s worth, but that’s the first published study I’m aware of showing much of anything related to this technology in horses.
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