Magnetic Blankets for Horses: Helpful or Not?

Horse owners looking through catalogs of equine merchandise have probably seen advertisements for blankets or wraps containing magnets.  The descriptive text for these items might indicate that the magnetic energy flow will increase equine blood circulation, reduce inflammation, ease muscle aches and soreness, and minimize arthritic stiffness.

To test the effect of magnetic blankets, Swedish scientists conducted research designed to measure skin temperature, pain indicators, and blood flow in 10 healthy horses. The horses were first monitored for 30 minutes without blankets, and measurements were taken to establish a baseline. Some of the horses then wore magnetic blankets on their backs for 60 minutes, while others wore similar blankets without the magnets. Measurements were repeated during this time and for 30 minutes after the blankets were removed.

Skin temperature increased in all horses but the increase was similar regardless of blanket type. Behavior, muscle blood flow, and mechanical nociceptive threshold (an indicator of pain) did not differ between the groups of horses, indicating that magnetic blankets did not have an appreciable therapeutic effect on these horses.