66 SIDELINES JANUARY 2012
FOR HORSE PEOPLE • ABOUT HORSE PEOPLE
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Kinesio Taping Human
and Equine Athletes!
By Dr. Beverly Gordon
You might have seen professional and Olympic athletes
wearing what appears to be colored tape on their bodies,
and probably wondered what it was.
Cyclist Lance Armstrong ran the 2006 NY City Marathon
wearing the tape; Olympian volleyball player Kerri Walsh
wore the tape during the 2008 Beijing Olympics; tennis
player Serena Williams, soccer player David Beckham and
Kevin Garnett of the Boston Celtics are just a few of the
many professional athletes using the tape. Of course, it
is only a matter of time before what is sometimes called
“magic tape” makes its way to the equestrian community.
And not just for the riders, but for their horses as well.
Taping Human Athletes
The tape is known as Kinesio Tape, and was
developed in the late 1970s by the brilliant Japanese
Chiropractor Dr. Kenzo Kase. Currently, Kinesio
Tape is used worldwide by professional athletes
and health care professionals to decrease pain,
heal injuries and improve athletic performance.
As a Certifed Kinesio Taping Practitioner (CKTP), I have
personally witnessed the amazing effects this tape has
had on human athletes. Depending upon its application,
this “magic tape” can be used to relax tight muscles,
increase circulation, decrease swelling, increase muscle
work capacity and improve overall performance and
training. Additionally, using Kinesio tape to aid posture,
balance and core strength during training has proven to
be another very successful application for human athletes.
And then there are horses…The growing success
Kinesio taping has had on humans brings an interesting
thought to mind, “If Kinesio Tape works this well on
humans, why not on horses?”
In conjunction with Kinesio Taping Association
International, I have been involved in research centering
on the use of Kinesio Taping Method for horses. The
science behind the applications of the tape is similar for both
equine and human athletes, however, different taping methods
for specifc equine issues and conditions exist. One thing which
remains the same is the winning impact the tape has on healing
and athletic performance.
Applying Kinesio Tape to Horses
Kinesio taping horses includes a huge variety of applications. I
often use the tape in conjunction with other treatment modalities,
such as chiropractic. One beneft of the tape is that it can be used
along with many veterinary protocols such as medications, shock-
wave therapy, injections, etc. An important quality of the tape is
that it is effectively functioning the entire time it is applied to the
skin, during active training and at rest, and this is a key ingredient
to its success.
Here are two examples of Equine Kinesio Taping applications.
Case No.1:
I recently worked with a talented dressage horse
that seemed to chronically have a “weak back”. Understandably,
the trainer was frustrated because she was having diffculty
training the horse. The horse periodically seemed to struggle with
movements which the trainer believed should have been easy for
him and he showed evidence of recurring back soreness. After a
discussion with the trainer and assessing the horse, I determined
the best treatment for the horse would include a chiropractic
adjustment, after which I applied Kinesio Tape. I taped the horse
several times over a period of a few weeks, with slightly different
tapings each time as indicated by my assessment. The horse
trained with Kinesio Tape applied, and improved greatly. I also
taped the trainer for a chronic knee issue which interfered with
her riding. Both the horse and the trainer were taped, and both
performed better as a result.
Case No.2:
Application of Kinesio tape for purposes of
improving training and not just treating injured or sore tissues
has shown great success. One of the jumper horses I worked
on recently had been back to work after a long lay off. When I
saw him for his regular chiropractic assessment, an examination
Little Buddy, a four year old mini who was taped to
increase circulation over a bruised hip
Tyler Amed on 10 year old Belgian Warmblood, Briezer, with
tape applied to decrease muscle tension