Equine treatment site in Rostraver draws horses from up and down the East Coast

While injuries suffered by horses on the track have dominated horse racing news this year, they can happen anywhere.

When startled, a horse can make sudden movements and try to run off, resulting in possible pulled muscles, torn tendons, skin damage or eye injury.

There are a variety of treatment options for horses, ranging from rest to different types of therapy.

Rehabilitation centers such as the Amulet Equine Rehabilitation and Conditioning Center in Rostraver specialize in horse injury treatment and use a medley of therapy types. Since opening in 2019, the center has received patients from across Pennsylvania, as well as Ohio, New York, New Jersey and Florida.

A popular method to treat a more serious injury is cryotherapy, which uses cold temperatures to address skin conditions or muscle and ligament pain. Amulet uses an ECB Leg Spa, a cold salt hydrotherapy unit to treat lower leg injuries. Horses stand in a tub as a mixture of cold water and concentrated salt are pumped from jets onto their legs.

“You name (the injury), we’ve worked with it,” said Janet Collins, owner and managing partner of Amulet Equine.

Amulet Equine is well known in the racing community for its aquatherapy, in which the injured animal is put in a tub of water for low-impact cardio exercise. The facility is the only equine rehab center in the area with an Aqua Pacer underwater treadmill, Collins said.

“The horses are working a little harder because they’re pushing through water to keep up with the speed, but the impact is cushioned, so we’re not reinjuring or hurting them,” Collins said.

Some trainers put horses on the AquaPacer to correct their gait or improve their conditioning.

The facility also offers many different rehabilitation practices such as a salt therapy chamber to improve breathing, a solarium to warm a horse’s muscles and increase blood flow, and vibration therapy to enhance joint health and bone density. Co-owner Tom Svrcek and facility veterinarian Keith Brown research the newest developments in equine medicine and have traveled throughout the country to attend demonstrations and lectures about new technology.

The center mostly works with standardbred or harness racing horses. According to Collins, the most common horse injury the staff encounters is a torn ligament, a leg injury that usually requires cryotherapy and rest.

“Horses are our livelihood and our love,” said Kim Hankins, executive director of the Meadows Standardbred Owners Association. “I don’t know a single owner or trainer that does not love their horses.”