Cold therapy in the horse

The therapeutic application of cold to the limbs of the horse appears to be widely employed for the treatment of a variety of painful and inflammatory conditions, primarily of the hoof and lower limbs. No mailer what the meth od of application, there appears to be little information available as to t he effects, efficacy length of therapy and best method of application in th e house. So as to assist the practitioner in making reasonable recommendati ons for the application of cold therapy, this paper reviews the scientific literature on the physiologic effects of cold therapy and discusses relevan t issues related to the efficacy of cold therapy and particularly methods o f application to the horse.