Savvy Equestrian - Horse Product Reviews
Ice Horse ECT SystemPosted October 12, 2007 |
  
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Enter MacKinnon's Ice Horse ECT System I was excited when Savvy Equestrian asked me to test this product. It works by wrapping the legs in a dry circulating pad [tendon and hock pads included]. A neoprene insulating compression bandage is placed over the pad and there is a clever coupling that connects the pad to the hoses that deliver the circulating ice water. The system runs on AC or an optional battery pack. It's durable, light weight and affordable, being less than ½ the cost of it's competitor. The insulated ice chest keeps your supply of ice cold longer. One bag of ice can last through treating several horses The Cold Therapy ECT System has a temperature regulator on it that allows the user to regulate the amount of cold delivered to the leg. This reduces the risk of frostbite, which is something to avoid at all costs. Cold and compression are the key elements to prevent sports injuries and to reduce inflammation in a chronic or traumatic situation. It is no wonder that many people recognized the Ice Horse system as the same kind of system that had been used on them for sports related injuries. The Test I used the Cold Therapy ECT System for two different situations. The first use was for regular preventative cold therapy after training and competing sessions. I used the ice boots [another MacKinnon product] along with the cold therapy system. We put the ice boots on the hind legs and the cold therapy system wraps on the front legs. Ice Horse can treat two legs at a time because they provide a Y-splitter hose. We found that this would be the fastest way to cool all 4 legs down after competition. The cooling of the tendons is important after exercise. After 20 minutes, we switched from the front legs to the hocks with the Cold Therapy ECT System. The second situation was for a traumatic injury. A horse had been kicked in the knee and the swelling was fairly substantial from the knee down the leg to the fetlock. I used the hock wrap on the knee of the injured horse along with the regular leg wrap. The system circulated the cold water for the required 20 minutes. After the first day of treatment, the swelling was reduced considerably. Bonus Feature So far we've talked about the things you'd expect from the product. Now let's go onto the most amazing feature. The Ice Horse is indestructible. While my daughter, who can be rough on equipment, hadn’t broken it all through her Young Rider campaign, I was still skeptical about the products durability. How could a product be this good? Last month we had the ultimate product test that made me a believer. A horse in our stables, who is notoriously spooky, was being Ice Horse’d. He spooked at the spirits in the sky (or wherever) and bolted out of the crossties dragging the Ice Horse chest with him. Of course, he thought it was now chasing him. He went down the aisle and the Ice Horse stayed with him. Sort of like crack-the-whip. The hysterical horse was finally caught, he was detached from the Ice Horse and everyone expected that it would be time for a new Ice Horse. Not so. The unit did not break. Really! No other system could hold up under those circumstances, in my opinion. The spontaneous demonstration made a few converts in the barn that day. Ice Horse works equally well at home or on the road, in the tent stabling out in a field. It comes with a canvas tote bag and when you schlep it across a field, it's wonderfully light-weight. It looks like a mini beverage cooler (um, once you’ve finished treating your horse, you can put a mini wine in to chill…) PROS Dry Effective Durable Light-weight Relatively affordable CONS The pads do not wrap all the way around the leg. I would like to see a coupling on the back of the unit. CONCLUSION After testing this product for 5 months, I have only good things about it. When I walk into the stabling at a show I often see grooms with their heavy, duct taped, icing system. They look at my Ice Horse in it’s handy dandy blue canvas shoulder bag with a bit of envy in their eyes. Word must be getting around! RATING If 4 is the top; this is a 5. PUBLISHER’S NOTES My interactions with Chuck Dumbrell at MacKinnon have been professional, informative and friendly. I've learned a few important things during the review process that may be interesting side bars. 1] You can learn how to use Ice Horse by watching the online video demonstration on the MacKinnon website. The product arrives with the video on DVD and VHS and there is additional printed literature. This is one of the better instruction sets I've seen with a product 2] If your Ice Horse needs repair, MacKinnon will send a loaner so you're covered in the interim. 3] Concerning placing the coupler for the hose at the back of the machine; apparently its complicated to do because contained within the hose are three hoses from the motor...Its a technical issue that they are currently addressing. Related Links: [ MacKinnon Ice Horse Website ] | |
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