Biomechanical (4‑Way) Taping for Horses: The Science of Stored Energy,

The big idea (in plain English)

Biomechanical taping is built around a different mechanical premise than 2‑way stretch “kinesiology‑style” tape. The goal isn’t just sensory input or skin/fascia effects. The goal is load sharing.

When biomechanical tape is applied correctly (often in a shortened position across one or more joints), it can absorb movement load, store it as elastic potential energy, and then release it back into movement. Think “spring,” “bow,” or “bungee” behavior: energy goes in during stretch, and energy comes back out as recoil.

That energy return is why biomechanical taping can change how hard tissues have to work during motion. It’s also why these tapes feel so different in the hand and on the horse.

Credit where it’s due: Ryan Kendrick, Dynamic Tape®, and how OIO Biomechanics came to exist

The exact scientific premise you’re describing—tape absorbing load, storing it as elastic potential energy, then releasing it as kinetic energy—is the core mechanism of Biomechanical Taping, most commonly known by its commercial name Dynamic Tape®, developed by physiotherapist Ryan Kendrick.

Here’s the part that matters for equine practitioners: OIO Biomechanics wasn’t built years later as a “me too” trend. I released OIO Biomechanics in October 2023, and I worked directly with Ryan while developing the modality so the equine version would stay true to the actual mechanics (not the marketing).

That’s why the OIO approach doesn’t treat this as “stronger tape.” It treats it as a different tool with a different job: traction, leverage, and elastic energy return applied to equine movement problems.

EquiTecs 4-Way Tape

Where this premise shows up in the clinical literature

A clear head‑to‑head framing of the theory is laid out in the registered clinical trial ClinicalTrials.gov ID: NCT04090541. The trial description contrasts two different hypotheses:

• 2‑way stretch tape (KT‑style) is commonly explained with a primarily neurophysiological hypothesis (mechanoreceptor input, skin lift, fascial interaction, sensory modulation).

• Biomechanical tape (Dynamic Tape®‑style) is explained with a primarily mechanical hypothesis: applied in a shortened position, it gains potential energy during movement and can return that energy during the motion cycle.

This matters because it changes what you should expect the tape to do.

Material + mechanical behavior: why the tape feels “wrong” if you expected 2‑way

If someone accidentally orders a biomechanical‑style 4‑way tape expecting a familiar 2‑way stretch tape, the first reaction is usually:

• “This feels thicker / stronger.”

• “This feels synthetic/smooth and very sticky.”

• “This stretches in a totally different way.”

• “It doesn’t behave like my usual tape.”

That reaction is not a quality issue. It’s a design difference.

2‑way stretch tape: directional stretch with a hard stop

2‑way stretch tape is engineered to stretch primarily along one axis. In real‑world use, that creates a very specific mechanical limitation:

• It stretches until it runs out of available elongation.

• Once it hits end‑range, it effectively becomes rigid in that direction.

In application terms, this can feel like a “brick wall.” If you’re asking it to do a support job that requires continued elongation through a big range of motion, it can’t. It stops.

4‑way stretch biomechanical tape: multidirectional stretch with ongoing elastic return

Biomechanical‑style 4‑way tape is engineered for multidirectional elongation and elastic recoil. That means:

• It can continue to stretch through complex, multi‑plane movement.

• It can store more usable elastic energy across real movement patterns.

• It can return that energy as recoil, assisting motion without locking the joint.

This is exactly why it’s used for support and biomechanical assistance rather than “just” sensory input.

The mechanism: potential energy in, kinetic energy out

Here’s the simplest way to understand the mechanism Ryan Kendrick built Dynamic Tape® around (and the same mechanical logic we apply in OIO Biomechanics):

1. Apply the tape in a shortened position across the target segments (based on the goal).

2. As the horse moves, the taped area lengthens.

3. The tape stretches and stores energy (elastic potential energy).

4. As the horse returns toward the shortened position, the tape recoils.

5. That recoil can assist movement and reduce the workload on tissues that would otherwise have to generate or control that force.

In other words, the tape can act like an external elastic component in the system.

Why this is fundamentally different from “support with 2‑way tape”

A lot of people try to do support applications with 2‑way tape because it’s what they have. The problem is that support is a mechanical job.

If you need the tape to:

• share load across a joint,

• assist a movement pattern,

• reduce eccentric demand,

• provide recoil through range,

…then you need a tape that is mechanically built to do that.

The non‑negotiable truth: these tapes are not interchangeable

Let’s say this clearly:

• A 2‑way stretch tape cannot reliably do the job of a biomechanical 4‑way tape in support applications.

• A biomechanical 4‑way tape is not a “stronger version” of 2‑way tape. It is a different tool with a different mechanical purpose.

If you choose the wrong tape type, you don’t just get “less results.” You can get different mechanics than you intended.

What the research suggests (and why pros should care)

Biomechanical taping has been studied in ways that directly test performance‑related outcomes like endurance and dynamic balance.

Muscle endurance and fatigue

A randomized controlled trial published in PLOS ONE (dynamic taping vs KT vs control) reported improved muscle endurance in the biomechanical tape group compared to KT and control.

From a mechanical standpoint, that result is consistent with the energy‑storage premise: if the tape is sharing load and returning energy, the underlying tissues may not have to work as hard across repeated cycles.

Dynamic balance and movement performance

Other peer‑reviewed work comparing ankle taping techniques has reported biomechanical tape outperforming KT and placebo variants for dynamic balance measures in athletes.

Again, that aligns with a design that supports multi‑plane movement and elastic recoil rather than relying primarily on sensory input.

Translating this into the equine world (and into OIO Biomechanics)

Horses are not humans with longer legs. Their movement is different, their tissue demands are different, and the support problems we’re solving are different.

In OIO Biomechanics, the question is not “Can I stick tape on it?” The question is:

• What force is excessive?

• What force is missing?

• Where do we need traction, leverage, or load sharing?

• What position must the limb or segment be in when the tape is applied to create the intended mechanical effect?

Biomechanical 4‑way tape fits that framework because it can be used to:

• assist joints without rigid restriction,

• reduce strain on healing tissues,

• change leverage and force pathways,

• support movement while the horse continues to train or rehab (when appropriate).

Why people get “surprised” when they accidentally buy biomechanical tape

If your brain expects 2‑way tape, biomechanical tape can feel almost “too much.” That’s because:

• it’s designed to do mechanical work,

• it behaves differently under tension,

• it continues to stretch and recoil through movement.

So yes, it feels different. It’s supposed to.

Practical clarity: when 2‑way is the right tool

2‑way stretch tape can be the right tool when your goal is:

• circulation/lymphatic applications,

• muscle activation or relaxation,

• fascia‑focused applications,

• neurological support where low tension and directional pull is the point.

Those are not “lesser” goals. They’re just different goals.

Practical clarity: when 4‑way biomechanical tape is the right tool

4‑way biomechanical tape is the right tool when your goal is:

• support/stability across joints,

• biomechanical correction,

• high‑mobility regions that require multi‑plane stretch,

• reducing load on tissues during movement,

• creating elastic assistance without shutting down range.

If you are still trying to do support jobs with 2‑way tape because “that’s what everyone sells,” you’re using the wrong tool for the job.

The bottom line for practitioners

This isn’t a trend. It’s a different mechanical technology.

Ryan Kendrick’s Dynamic Tape® premise is simple enough to say out loud and specific enough to test in the real world: biomechanic tape can share load and return energy through movement. That’s the point.

If you’re a practitioner doing support applications and you’re still using 2‑way stretch tape out of habit, you’re leaving results on the table.

Next step

We’re in healthcare—we don’t get to ignore the mechanics. We’re supposed to be evidence-led, not habit-led. If your goal is support, follow the science and move those applications to a true biomechanical 4‑way stretch tape.

And if you want to do this correctly (and safely) at a practitioner level, understand this up front: OIO Biomechanics is a different modality. The tape is only the tool. The course teaches the force principles, the positioning, and the progression rules that make the mechanical premise actually work in the equine body.

In OIO Biomechanics terms: observe the force problem, interpret what the tissues are being asked to do, then optimize the mechanics with the correct tool.

EquiTecs 4-Way Tape

OIO Biomechanics Course