Honor Roll Racing and Churchill Downs, Inc. have joined together to provide some of the most advanced technology available for preventing and treating injuries in racehorses.  Churchill Downs will provide space at their Trackside training facility for an equine hydrotherapy spa operated by Honor Roll Racing.  The hydrotherapy spa is set to open for treatment during the first week of July.

Equine Spa

Since 2001, self-contained, coldwater, equine hydrotherapy spas that combine the massaging, drawing, and penetrating healing effects of circulated cold water, therapeutic salts, and increased oxygen have come into use in variety of locations across the globe.  Past clinical trials and case studies have demonstrated the efficacy of salts, ice, and cold water on injuries in humans and equines alike.  More recent research has begun to demonstrate the benefits of increased oxygen in combination with each of the aforementioned healing agents.  Coldwater hydrotherapy spas providing this combination therapy are now in broad use in parts of Europe and Australia and are beginning to gain popularity in the United States and Canada.  The Honor Roll Racing team is confident the proven scientific techniques and its technological implementation will be tremendously effective in preventing, treating, and expediting the healing of many common racehorse injuries.

The Spa itself is a self-contained, insulated unit that keeps over 500 gallons of chilled saltwater for use in treatment.  Water is transferred into the spa chamber, through the floor, while the horse is standing inside the unit.  Aeration is then introduced to increase oxygen content and create a massaging effect.  The success of cold salt hydrotherapy is achieved through a combination of factors:

      -The temperature of water has important therapeutic and analgesic influences:  The colder the temperature of water, the more anti-inflammatory influence and pain relief.  At 35 degrees Fahrenheit (2 degrees Celsius) (with chlorine and salt) micro-organic activity is virtually eliminated and therefore the transfer of infection from horse to horse is impossible.

       -Salt concentration and the composition of the salts in the water will have an effect on the tissue response:  The salt level acts as a poultice to draw out heat and infectious fluids.

-Aeration of the water increases the dissolved oxygen content and creates a massaging effect: Dissolved oxygen content of saltwater is dramatically increased below 40 degrees Fahrenheit from 4 ppm to 9-11 ppm, when water is aerated.  Upon aerating the water, oxygen levels substantially increase causing a corresponding drop in the horse heart rate.  As is suggested with hyperbaric oxygen chambers, this heart rate drop may be indicative of oxygen being absorbed through the skin to increase healing.

A standard treatment in the Equine Hydrotherapy Spa consists of a brief period of pre-treatment preparation along with a ten to sixteen minute core treatment period.  The core treatment period begins when the horse enters the unit and it begins to fill with water.  The unit takes approximately three minutes to fill and three minutes to empty when full.  Customized treatments ensure that any specific areas higher up on the legs that are targeted for treatment are treated with the therapeutic combination of cold, saltwater, and increased oxygen for at least ten minutes to achieve the maximum therapeutic benefit.

Treatments will be offered free of charge from July 3rd through July 21st at the facility.