Cryotherapy, also known as cold therapy, is highly effective in relieving soft tissue-related soreness, reducing inflammation, and reducing the risk of injury. It has been used for many years. Not only do trainers practice this technique, but veterinarians suggest using cold therapy regularly for horses at work, even if your horse is not dealing with an injury. Horses with swelling, joint pain, arthritis, soft tissue injuries, or in heavy work can all benefit from cold therapy. If you wonder what signs my horse might benefit from cold therapy, you’ve come to the right place! We will make it easy to understand the benefits of cold therapy, the different ways you can use cold therapy, and when to know if you should use cold vs. heat therapy on your horse.
Understanding Cold Therapy
Cold therapy for horses is an effective preventive measure after exercise as it helps reduce inflammation, one of the main components of an injury. As inflammation increases and causes an inflammatory response to the soft tissue or joint structure, your horse can become sore or even have more serious damage to the area.
There are various methods to administer cold therapy, including standing your horse in buckets of ice, cold-hosing, or using modern cold therapy products such as ice packs, gel packs, and cryotherapy machines for horses. To learn more about the specifics of the cold therapy process and how it works, we suggest reading What is Cold Therapy and How Does it Benefit Horses.
This guide will ensure you know the signs that your horse might benefit from cold therapy, some scenarios in which cold therapy is recommended, and the best methods or products to use for cold therapy. Cold therapy offers numerous benefits as it can be applied in almost any situation to relieve or prevent issues. This is useful knowledge every horse owner should be aware of.
5 Signs Your Horse Might Need Cold Therapy
Here are the 5 primary signs when to know that you should use cold therapy for your horse:
After strenuous exercise
Swelling or inflammation
Post-surgical recovery
Acute injuries
Chronic joint or muscle pain
After Strenuous Exercise
Incorporating cold therapy into a horse's post-exercise routine can prevent soreness and reduce inflammation by constricting blood vessels and restoring normal circulation. Applying cold therapy after strenuous exercise, such as a tough training session or during a horse show, will help your horse recover quickly. This practice is well-documented in human athletes, with studies showing that cold water immersion after strenuous activity speeds up recovery, reduces pain and fatigue, and mitigates delayed-onset muscle soreness.
Swelling or Inflammation
When your horse has visible swelling and inflammation, the damaged blood vessels beneath the skin hemorrhage, leading to inflammation, bruising, and fluid buildup. You’ll know you’re in that window because the tender injury site shows obvious swelling. During this time, cold therapy will decrease the permeability of the blood vessel walls, slow fluid leaks, and keep healthy, undamaged tissues from being overloaded with excess fluids. Cold hosing may be the easiest and most traditional option for quickly cooling an injury site, but it is not always cold enough. Depending on the time of year, even the cold water from a hose can be quite tepid. When there is obvious swelling, you will likely need to use ice, a commercial cold pack or another cooling system.
Post-Surgical Recovery
During the rehabilitation process after surgery or treatment for an injury, which can last from days to months, using cold therapy at least once a day for 20-minute sessions can significantly aid in healing. Beyond the acute stage, cold therapy improves circulation, bringing beneficial white blood cells to the injury site, and helps reduce inflammation, swelling, and pain, which are all ideal when rehabbing an injury. If your horse wears bandages or has stitches, you likely should not use cold hosing but rather a product with gel-ice packs for “dry cryotherapy”. Of course, always consult with your veterinary team on your horse’s treatment plan.
Acute Injuries
Cold therapy is highly effective for treating acute injuries in horses, much like using an ice pack on yourself after twisting your ankle. The cold can offer immediate pain relief while constricting blood vessels, reducing fluid leakage and inflammation, and shortening the overall healing time. Cold therapy during the first two to three days after an injury is ideal. It will slow blood flow, reduce pain, and limit the release of inflammatory mediators, significantly lowering the inflammatory response that can cause more serious injuries and lameness.
Chronic Joint or Muscle Pain
If your horse suffers from ongoing joint or muscle pain, arthritis, and general achiness, using cold therapy as part of your horse’s routine can still be beneficial. One 20-minute cold therapy session before or after exercise is usually sufficient for a maintenance program. If your horse tends to be foot sore and has coffin joint or navicular pain, icing their feet can help pull out that inflammation and soreness, helping them feel better and reduce further damage. Sore back, hocks, or stifles? Luckily, some creative products use gel-ice packs, making it easy to ice these areas without using a horse or ice bucket.
Best Practices for Using Cold Therapy
A general rule of thumb when using cold therapy is 20 minutes at a time. You can use cold therapy multiple times a day, but there should always be at least a half-hour break between sessions.
You should only ice your horse more continuously during the acute stage of laminitis or founder, typically within the first 72 hours of symptom onset. In these cases, using ice buckets, ice boots, or hoof-soaking boots filled with ice, covering your horse’s hooves can make a major difference in their chance of recovery. Doing this around the clock for 72 hours is often recommended in these situations. This continuous icing significantly reduces the risk of severe damage, such as the rotation or sinking of the coffin bone, compared to horses not iced during this acute stage. For some horses and ponies, this can be a matter of surviving their founder or laminitis. Consult with your veterinarian for a plan of action if your horse is suspected of foundering or having an acute laminitic episode.
Anytime you are using cold therapy for your horse, whether cold hosing, standing them in a bucket of ice, ice boots, gel-pack wraps, or other products, you should always monitor your horse and ensure they are calm and relaxed where they will be standing and never leave them unattended. If your horse is nervous about the cross ties, putting them in their stall with hay or yummy-soaked hay cubes can be a great distraction. Some horses learn to really enjoy their cold therapy sessions as part of their day. Creating a Cold Therapy Routine for Your Horse can be just as enjoyable as a nice grooming session while knowing the benefits are really helping your horse too!
Recognizing the signs that your horse might benefit from cold therapy can set your horse up for success and optimal health. If they look a little sore, have some new swelling, suffer from lameness or are recovering from an injury, you will be well prepared to handle anything that needs to cool down!
Whether you just want to prevent injuries better or reduce pain, swelling, and inflammation from a current ailment, knowing when to use cold therapy is a key piece of education for horse owners. You can find our Top 7 Cold Therapy Products for Horses to decide which method works best for your horse.
Being proactive in your horse’s health care from ensuring they have plenty of turnout and a healthy diet, regular grooming, well-fitting tack, and awareness on how to treat and prevent injuries, are all small parts that can aid in their long-term soundness, health and wellbeing.
