No, it’s not your horse prepping for the next Burning Man. It’s also not his/her latest in equine Halloween Costumes. It’s a therapeutic treatment called PEMF. We had a wonderful opportunity to meet with Natalie Rietkerk of Triple Crown PEMF, a business she takes on the road to provide therapy for all types of horses from all kinds of disciplines. She even does backyard ponies like ours. So Natalie came out to show us how Smoochy our OTTB might benefit from a treatment. Without spoiling the story, I will say my almost ‘senior’ boy acts like he’s a 4 year old again. I’m not entirely sure that’s a good or bad thing (ha ha) I’ll keep you posted. Meanwhile, let’s talk with Natalie and find out more about her, her company and the therapy behind PEMF.
PEMF stands for Pulsed Electromagnetic Field therapy and is a safe, drug-free, clinically proven, and non-invasive way to restore cellular health, improve overall wellness, and enhance athletic performance. PEMF can bring pain relief with no medication, often with an immediate and lasting response. When blood oxygen is increased, the lymphatic system is activated and acupuncture points are stimulated resulting in a decrease in pain and inflammation and the acceleration of healing. PEMF therapy also helps increase athletic performance by increasing range of motion, energy, stamina, flexibility, strength and provides quicker recovery after excursion.
The therapy is proven to help with:
- Optimized cellular health
- Reduced pain and inflammation
- Improved performance and well-being
- Increased range of motion and muscle elasticity
- Increased blood circulation
- Improved relaxation and stress reduction
- Reduced soreness: Back, Stifle, Joints, Neck, Poll, TMJ, Shoulder or Hooves
- Soft Tissue recovery: Bruised or Torn Muscles, Tendons and Ligaments
- Accelerated injury, wound and/or surgical recovery
- Accelerated bone healing
- Anti-aging, systemic improvement, and improved immunity
Tell us about how you came about becoming a PEMF Therapist?
I was introduced to PEMF when I was working out of Santa Anita Park for CARMA. As part of my job, I would assist race trainers with the retirement of the horses under their care. Being in the racing barns regularly, I observed how many horses were receiving PEMF treatments and thought there has to be something to this therapy if some of the best and most expensive equine athletes in the world were having it done routinely. Shortly after that, I had my personal horse, a young warmblood x Thoroughbred gelding, and my mom’s senior warmblood x quarter horse mare PEMFed. I couldn’t believe the notable improvement in both of them – especially considering the fact how different both horses are. I then purchased a PEMF machine and became a certified PEMF technician.
I am a huge advocate for off-track-Thoroughbreds which is what inspired the name of my business, Triple Crown PEMF. Firstly, my great grandparents owned, bred and trained racehorses in the 1930s and watching the Triple Crown races was and still is something my mom and I look forward to every year. When I graduated college, I took an internship with Santa Anita Park in the Marketing Department in 2014. I quickly became obsessed with watching the horses train every morning and found reasons to go on the backside to help hot walk and shadow trainers.My internship ended and I took a job at the Public Relations agency but the Thoroughbreds kept pulling me back. In 2016, I was hired by CARMA, a leading Thoroughbred aftercare charity located at Santa Anita, as Project Manager and spent nearly six years retiring racehorses and working with more than 20 other OTTB centric charities. I formed some truly incredible connections within the Thoroughbred community and I will continue promoting OTTBs through my PEMF business. I would estimate nearly 60% of my clients are retired racehorses. OTTB owners are a small cult and some of the most dedicated horse lovers I have personally work with.
Yes, my great grandparents owned, bred and raced Thoroughbreds in the 1930s but it was really my mom who encouraged my love of horses from a very early age. I started riding at six and my parents bought my first horse at 12. I grew up mostly exploring the trails of Orange County, CA but dabbled lightly in dressage and hunter/jumpers. In college, I saved up my waitress money and purchased a Hanoverian x Thoroughbred yearling whom I named Otto. We’ve been a pair for nearly 10 years now and we love jumping and going on trail.
I highly recommend PEMF therapy as a part of all horses regular care routine. PEMF is a proven, safe, drug-free and non-invasive way to improve overall wellness, cellular health, enhance athletic performance and manage pain. Everyone wants what is best for their horse and PEMF is perfect way to improve quality of life.
To book an appointment, new clients can call/text at 714-519-9189, send a direct message on Instagram @triplecrownpemf or visit my triplecrownpemf.com
Natalie is currently based here in Southern California.
