82 SIDELINES NOVEMBER 2013
FOR HORSE PEOPLE • ABOUT HORSE PEOPLE
Maryanna with Duet MF, a 2008 Hanoverian mare by Don
Principe. Duet also won the 2011 “Traveling Trot” trophy and has
many grand championships to her name.
Photo by Mary McKenna
While Maryanna thinks the Born in the U.S.A. program is a
great start, she realizes that “we have a long way to go.”
To reach her ultimate goal of gaining recognition for the quality of
American-bred horses, she also joined a committee for an upstart
organization called The U.S. Sport Horse Breeders Association.
Although not yet official, the organization intends to lobby
for the “one horse, one number” campaign – which essentially
boils down to doing a better job of keeping tabs on horses. The
organization is not exclusive and welcomes breeders from all
sport horse disciplines – from reining to eventing and dressage to
hunters and jumpers.
She also mentioned that the FEI has announced a new rule that
will help their cause. Starting in 2014, every horse applying for a
passport will have to have a microchip. “The FEI is helping us out
… because if you’re going to be competing your horse he is going
to be microchipped and you’re not going to be able to change his
number or name so easily.”
Maryanna is confident keeping better track of horses will help
her and others achieve their mission to prove that American-bred
horses have something to offer and they shouldn’t be ignored.
“We’ll be able to keep track of who bred that horse, who the
parents of that horse are and the horse’s accomplishments,” she
said. “Then, you can follow that back and see if their parents did
anything in performance or their siblings and that is what we are
currently lacking and this is very, very important. We need that
information. We need to be able to show that Americans are
breeding great horses.”
Maryanna says that if you compare today’s results with the
results 10 years ago, you will already start to see more and more
American-bred horses winning and placing at shows across the
country. With programs like Born in the U.S.A. and organizations
like The U.S. Sport Horse Breeders Association, those numbers
will continue to rise and, with hard work and perseverance,
Maryanna and her colleagues’ work will pay off. American-bred
horses will have their turn to shine.
Now, that’s dedication.
Low-Intensity Ultrasound
for Top Equine Performance
Janus Marquis is
the official equine
physiotherapist for
the U.S. Olympic
show
jumping
team. Over the last
three
Olympics,
Janus has tended
some of the best
equine athletes in
the world and is
known for her cutting-edge technology. At the 2012 Games in London,
she added another tool to her treatment arsenal, a wearable low-
intensity therapeutic ultrasound (LITUS) the UltrOZ Elite. Here are her
observations on the modality and its low intensity evolution.
Therapeutic ultrasound has countless benefits; I’ve used it for years as
a pre and post-performance tool. It relaxes connective tissue, increasing
the benefits of stretching, which reduces the probability of injury. I use
it on tight muscles in the back, gluteals and hamstrings, and on legs
with a history of tendon and ligament injury. This can greatly reduce the
chances of re-injury.
I use ultrasound therapy before stretching out the horse. This is often
more important after exertion to facilitate the removal of lactic acid
and increase the range of motion in joints, allowing for better recovery.
Ultrasound therapy also reaches deep tissues to relieve inflammation. It
increases circulation and flexibility by pushing nutrients through cellular
structures. This allows for deep, penetrating healing. I also use them
successfully on sore feet. Continuous, low-intensity waves react well
with the density of the hoof wall, helping retain and focus energy to
amplify the benefits.
Unlike many products on the market, therapeutic ultrasound is a
modality with real, documented benefits and a long history of research.
The biological effects were first recognized in 1927. So far, it has
only belonged in the hands of highly trained professionals. It has to
be appropriately applied and focused with the correct frequency and
wavelength for the treatment area. If used incorrectly, it can cause
burning and tissue death. Therapeutic ultrasound is so effective it’s
dangerous. Low-intensity ultrasound therapies allow for the benefits, but
without the risks of injury. They deliver a low-intensity, continuous-
wave at a fixed frequency. This allows for safe, easy treatments that can
be administered by grooms or riders.
Low-intensity ultrasounds require a longer application period to
get true physiological benefits, but this helps facilitate saturation and
penetration. The makers of my system, The UltrOZ Elite, have developed
a completely wearable LITUS and supply neoprene wraps to apply their
units to legs, hocks, backs and stifles. The evolutions of low-intensity
and the continuous format have eliminated the harmful thermal impact
on the surface area. I am very excited about having a treatment that I can
safely leave in my clients’ hands and know that the horse will benefit
from excellent healing therapy.
Made in the U.S.A., the UltrOZ Elite is the only completely wearable
Low-Intensity Therapeutic Ultrasound (LITUS) available. The
system was developed in collaboration with Cornell University and is
manufactured by ZetrOZ.
For more information on Janus Marquis visit
.
com/JanusMarquis
or
Conference/marquis_bio.html
For More information on the UltrOZ Elite visit
or
call 888-202-9831.
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Sidelights
