42 • THE PLAID HORSE
reduce recovery time between classes at a competition,” said Ament, a West Coast-based show jumper. HBOT can be used to treat a wide range of conditions or concerns, including improving rates of recovery, tendon injuries, fractures, tying up, and even infertility. The horse is placed in a stall that is similar in size to a horse trailer stall, and up to two horses at a time can be treated at MEHOT. The hyperbaric system brings outside air into a compressor system and then cools it. This cooled, compressed air is used to pressurize the horse chamber. Pure oxygen is conveyed into the chamber through a humidifier and the horse breathes it in through a mask. The system delivers up to 20 times the amount of oxygen that can be received at normal pressure. This high level of oxygen benefits horses by raising the amount of oxygen that is dissolved in blood plasma, facilitating oxygen delivery to body tissues and supporting recovery.
To ensure safety, MEHOT utilizes a system that meets the highest codes for human occupancy. Their mask-delivery system allows the use of air to pressurize the chamber, eliminating the risk of fire or explosion, which is a concern of many who hear about this treatment due to accidents that happened in the past. Because of these accidents, Ament was a little skeptical at first. “My only concern was the safety of my horses based on previous hyperbaric attempts by others, but my concerns we alleviated once I went out and had a full explanation on how it actually works,” she said. Additionally, all horses are monitored prior to, during, and after treatment and treatments can be interrupted if there is a health or safety concern for the horse. Horses are treated based on a customized program designed to meet their needs. While some horses may receive 20 treatments for something like a bone infection, others may only need one or two treatments to promote recovery. Each horse receives no more than one treatment per day and each treatment lasts approximately one hour. Although horses do not need to be sedated when receiving HBOT through MEHOT, and they can keep their shoes on, if the horse has certain conditions or has been treated with specific medications, they may not be able to receive HBOT. Additionally, it is important to note that although there is no evidence that HBOT prior to exercise impacts the performance of the horse, some competitive organizations have regulations on when HBOT can be used in relation to competition. “I am a huge believer in the hyperbaric oxygen treatment system. I have only used the hyperbaric chamber for 5 months,