Magnetic Blankets in horses, do they really work?
Magnetic blankets have become popular over the last number of years. There are many reviews from owners, but do they actually help my horse?
Magnetic blankets and rugs have become popular over the last number of years. There are many raving reviews from riders and owners such as:
“amazed at how much improvement we are seeing in my horse…His back is swinging and his hocks are up underneath him”
“use it on our old jumping pony and I have to say has made a massive difference”.
These rugs range in price from €130 - €450 and would be an investment for any horse owner. So what are the claims for these magnetic rugs? Below is a mix of claims from several magnetic rug brands
- Can be used before exercise to warm muscles
- Help with general tightness & stiffness
- Bringing the entire upper body into the magnetic field
- The use of magnets has several positive effects such as Blood supply to tendons and joints*
- Oxygen supply to the tissue before and after training, production of elastin and collagen
- General knocks & bumps
- Aid joint function
- Support mobility
*remember horse tendons have very poor blood supply
How do these rugs work- according to the brands?
After reading a few brands explanation of how these rugs work, its comes down to this. The magnets are said to create a magnetic field that penetrates the horses tissue and muscle, promote blood flow and assist in the horses natural healing process.
What does science have to say?
There is limited scientific studies completed in this area on horses, but in a study investigating if a magnetic blanket induce changes in muscular blood flow (Edner et al., 2014) found that with the 10 horses tested, there was no difference between an active magnetic blankets and placebo magnetic blankets. Blood flow in muscle, skin temperatures, mechanical nociceptive threshold (MNTs) and behavioural traits were not significantly influenced by the magnetic blanket. Skin temperatures increased similarly between the blankets. This was also found in a study investigating magnetic rugs, that thermographic temperatures were not different between the magnetic rug and the control rug (Gunkelman et al., 2017)
A review of the placebo controlled trials looking at static magnets for reducing pain (Pittler et al., 2007) found that there was no significant difference in pain reduction with the use of magnets. The evidence doesn't support using magnets to relieve pain, so they're not a recommended way to treat pain effectively.
Conclusions
There is currently no substantial evidence to back up the claims that these rugs do what they say they do. Even with testing, these magnetic rugs haven’t been shown to significantly alter any of the measured parameters (blood flow, behavioural traits etc). Be very careful what you read online regarding any claims of what the product does for horses, especially if it is very shiny flashy marketing.
So for now, save your money!
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References
Edner, A. et al. (2014) ‘Does a magnetic blanket induce changes in muscular blood flow, skin temperature and muscular tension in horses?’, Equine Veterinary Journal, 47(3), pp. 302–307. doi:10.1111/evj.12291.
Gunkelman, M.A. et al. (2017) ‘Effects of a magnetic/ceramic therapy sheet on horses with back pain’, Journal of Equine Veterinary Science, 52, pp. 97–98. doi:10.1016/j.jevs.2017.03.145.
Pittler, M.H., Brown, E.M. and Ernst, E. (2007) ‘Static magnets for reducing pain: Systematic review and meta-analysis of Randomized Trials’, Canadian Medical Association Journal, 177(7), pp. 736–742. doi:10.1503/cmaj.061344