Undergraduate Honors Thesis Projects

Date of Award

4-28-2024

Document Type

Honors Paper

Degree Name

Equine Pre-Veterinary/Pre-Graduate Studies-BS

Department

Equine Science

Advisor

Dr. Steffanie Burk, Dr. Bennett Grooms

First Committee Member

Dr. Steffanie Burk

Second Committee Member

Dr. Bennett Grooms

Third Committee Member

Dr. John Tansey

Keywords

Equine, Stress, PEMF

Subject Categories

Animal Sciences | Higher Education

Abstract

Domesticated horses often live in high-stress environments due to their housing, frequent travel, and use for competitions. Elevated levels of equine stress can have negative side effects such as a weakened immune system and deviations from normal metabolic function. Pulsed electromagnetic field therapy has been researched in humans to help manage mental health conditions such as anxiety and depression, which are associated with elevated levels of stress. Transferring the same concept to horses should allow the reduction of stress in horses. This study used 36 horses split into two treatment groups and two control groups. Treatments either received 1-6 Hz or 10-30 Hz for 30 minutes delivered by a PEMF blanket. One control group wore the same blanket without using the PEMF and the other control did not wear any blanket. Treatments were done every other day for 15 days. This study explored if PEMF treatments at the frequencies 1-6 Hz or 10-30 Hz delivered by a Sports Innovation blanket affect stress behaviors, relaxation behaviors, or salivary cortisol in horses when compared to 0 Hz or no blanket. A second objective was to investigate if horses’ stress behaviors, relaxation behaviors, or salivary cortisol were affected when the blanket was set at 0 Hz compared to when not wearing a blanket. Not wearing the blanket had the lowest cortisol and highest relaxation behaviors compared to treatment options using PEMF, but the main significant differences (p<.05) were found on the first of three sampling days.

Licensing Permission

Copyright, all rights reserved. Fair Use

Acknowledgement 1

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Acknowledgement 2

1

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Available for download on Tuesday, April 25, 2028

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