Improving training adaptations and reducing chronic fatigue in horses with 448 kHz radiofrequency

The study of training adaptation and the reduction of chronic fatigue in horses is one of the most valued projects in equestrian competition across all disciplines, and in particular in dressage with Purebred Spanish horses of Cartujano lineage. The project was led by David Argüelles and Ana Muñoz of the Equine Sports Medicine Centre (CEMEDE) at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Córdoba.

One of the principles of training is supercompensation: each session must cause a certain degree of controlled damage that triggers compensation mechanisms and, with them, the molecular adaptations to training. This damage-repair cycle is hard to control. If recovery outweighs the induced damage there is no adaptation; if damage outweighs recovery, overtraining appears and the risk of musculoskeletal injury soars.

Most horses show some degree of overtraining, either because the exercise intensity is too high (training is seldom monitored with exercise tests or a heart-rate monitor) or because recovery time between sessions is insufficient. That recovery can be improved with deep thermotherapy techniques such as 448 kHz radiofrequency, which clear the chronic contractures associated with training.