## 4 Discussion  
This pilot study investigated the effectiveness of ice boot treatment in lowering limb temperatures in a horse after exercise, revealing significant temperature differences between the limbs and noticeable variations in the observed thermal patterns, according to thermographic scans of the acropodial region. The results obtained after applying the ice boot pack confirmed the hypothesis that the application of an ice boot pack leads to a reduction in local temperature and alterations in thermal patterns. After training, both evaluated areas showed a marked increase in temperature, with mean values rising to 30.53 \(\pm\) 2.01 \({}^{\circ}\)C, demonstrating an increase of 10.97 \(\pm\) 0.46 \({}^{\circ}\)C (Z = +6.878; \(p\) = 0.000). Similar post-exercise temperature increases in the metacarpal and metatarsal regions were reported by [PERSON] et al. [38], [PERSON] et al. [23], and [PERSON] et al. [39], who observed increases up to 33 \({}^{\circ}\)C. These changes reflect increased muscle activity and exercise-induced blood flow redistribution, as also noted by [PERSON] et al. [40], who documented a gradual temperature increase to approximately 30 \({}^{\circ}\)C during treadmill exercise. After 20 min of ice boot application, a significant temperature reduction was recorded. In the metacarpal region (BxI), the temperature difference between T2 and T3 reached 20.27 \(\pm\) 0.22 \({}^{\circ}\)C, while in the coronary region (Bx3), the difference was 3.98 \(\pm\) 0.25 \({}^{\circ}\)C. Similar reductions were observed by [PERSON] et al. [41, 42], with differences of 7.2 \({}^{\circ}\)C and 10.8 \({}^{\circ}\)C, and [PERSON] et al. [23], who reported a 6.3 \({}^{\circ}\)C drop compared to untreated limbs. Studies using ice water immersion and cold packs have demonstrated comparable or greater cooling effects, with deep tissue temperature reductions of up to 16.3 \({}^{\circ}\)C [10]. The mechanism is thought to involve the cooling of arterial blood in the palmar digital arteries, supporting the recommended use of this treatment in laminitis management [25, 31, 41]. The thermal patterns post-treatment revealed a progressive return toward baseline in the treated limb from T3 to T6, with color transitions indicating gradual rewarming. In contrast, the control limb also returned to baseline over 50 min, although it exhibited different thermal dynamics. Notably, at T6, a minimal temperature difference of 0.07 \(\pm\) 0.42 \({}^{\circ}\)C (Z = 0.321; \(p\) = 0.748) was recorded between limbs. [PERSON] et al. [38] observed a similar recovery within 45 min post-exercise, while [PERSON] et al. [23] reported temperature equalization between 6.9 and 22.5 min. [PERSON] et al. [42] found no significant post-exercise temperature variation compared to baseline. Given the variability in temperature values in the metacarpal (Figure 11a,b) and coronary band (Figure 11c,d) areas, the box plots suggested that Bx1 and Bx2 exhibited lower dispersion compared to Bx3 and Bx4, which could indicate more consistent temperature measurements following the ice boot treatment. However, in extended studies that build on this pilot research, statistical validation (such as variance comparison tests) would be necessary to confirm reliability as predictors. The data collected over the 8 days provided consistent results for this individual horse; however, horses can vary greatly in how they respond to exercise and cooling methods. Factors such as breed, age, fitness level, coat length, and limb conformation could influence cooling effectiveness and thermal imaging patterns [43; 44]. A key consideration in our study was the controlled environment (i.e., fixed temperature, no air currents, and uniform terrain), which minimized variability but failed to replicate the complexities of real-world conditions. Notably, no sweating was observed in the horse, which might have affected the results. This lack of sweating was likely influenced by the controlled temperature and air conditions.