In a new study, it was shown on dressage horses with kinesio tapes on their abdominal muscles that the tapes improved longitudinal activity and length of stride. “It seems to activate the contraction of the abdominal muscles,” said Sophie Biau, research coordinator at the Ecole National d’Equitation, in Saumur, France.
Kinesiology tape, has long been a fixture in the daily lives of human athletes, and its potential therapeutic benefits are well recognized. For horses, the tapes can be even more effective than for humans, Biau said. Equine skin has many more receptors, making it much more sensitive than ours.
In the study, scientists placed wide tapes specifically under two abdominal muscles involved in core stability and movement: the obliquus externus abdominis (OEA) and rectus abdominis (RA).
10-centimeter (4-inch) wide bands were placed over the RA muscles and 6-centimeter (2.3-inch) wide bands were placed in an X-shape over the OEA muscles.
The horses were hand trotted in front and also lunged. During this process, the horses wore a 3D accelerometer and a circumferential strap. Before and after lungeing, longitudinal activity during trotting was 28% and 16% greater, respectively, when the horses were fitted with the tape, the researchers reported. In addition, when the horses wore a tape, they took fewer strides, suggesting that the animals lengthened their strides. This could indicate increased abdominal muscle strength.
The tape itself did not appear to cause the horses any discomfort, the researchers explained. The tapes may especially help animals with back pain. “We know that in order to relieve a horse’s back, we first need to strengthen the abdominal muscles,” Biau said.
Source: The study, “Application of kinesiology taping to equine abdominal musculature in a tension frame for muscle facilitation increases longitudinal activity at the trot,” by Sophie Biau and Isabelle Burgaud, was published in Okrober 2021.
