Fans at Australia's Flemington Racecourse did a double-take when they saw champion sprinter Hay List being paraded in a wetsuit after his Newmarket Handicap triumph on the weekend.
That is what the AU$900 (US$948) garment looks like, although it is in fact made of a revolutionary moisture-management fabric.
It is the latest and most unusual piece of cutting-edge technology designed to assist the thoroughbred's recovery from races and strenuous training gallops.
Hay List has had his share of injury problems over the years, so trainer John McNair thought it was worth a try.
"It is basically like a compression suit," McNair said.
"You see a lot of cyclists, footballers and other sports people use them. They are designed to aid recovery, help with muscle fatigue.
"We have been using them on Hay List for a couple of weeks now and it makes a huge difference."
The compression suits are made by Hidez, a firm in Windsor, New South Wales.
The Hidez Recovery Suit uses a "graduated compression method which helps circulation and supplies more oxygen to all the muscle groups." It claims to enhance blood flow, reduce the onset of muscle soreness, and speed up recovery.
"There are zippers everywhere and it takes about 90 seconds to put it on," McNair said. "There are designs in place to introduce a variation of the suit that enables a horse to wear it at trackwork so that you can monitor its heart rate, breathing -- even its length of stride."
