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To Whom It May Concern,
I am writing this letter
to express my support of the Cyclone training system designed by Mr. Michael Wehrell. I am a 1983 graduate of the New York State College of Veterinary Medicine at Cornell University. I have been an assistant professor
in the department of Comparative Medicine at the University of Virginia, the team veterinarian for the U.V.A. polo team, a lecturer on anatomy and lameness at various institutions, a writer on assorted veterinary topics and a
private practitioner for the last 11 years. My areas of special interest are muscle injury and rehabilitation in the
sport horse.
I have tried to investigate the advances that have been made
in the field of human sports medicine with an eye towards utilizing those principles and findings that may apply to the equine world. The methods of training and conditioning horses are steeped in tradition and lore and often
it has been difficult to get owners and trainers to learn from and accept the advancements made by human trainers, therapists and strength and fitness researchers. Resistance training is a case in point.
Human studies have proven the beyond doubt the benefits of resistance training and more and more athletes are now running while dragging tires or small wind chutes and experiencing significant gains
in strength and speed. Training programs and rehabilitation exercises are being designed around resistance work using a host of machines and devices of all sorts. The equine world has been slow to follow this
lead. One problem has been the lack of comparable equipment to be used on thoroughbreds. Horses can be worked on inclines and can be made to drag items but the simple practicality of designing a resistance exercise that
was simple, safe and functionally correct has proven difficult. The Cyclone offers in theory, a very practical, efficient and safe method of applying resistance-training techniques to horses. I added "in theory" because
no such device has yet been built and tested but I feel that the design is well thought out and the principles it is based on are sound. I feel that such a track would allow horses to achieve higher levels of work at slower
speeds, which not only builds condition but also helps avoid training injuries, which continue to be a significant source of wastage in the thoroughbred industry in this country and abroad. I would be very interested to see
such a track built and tested and feel that the gains that could be made training and rehabilitating in the equine sport field would certainly justify its construction.
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