Horsewalkers..The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

colettybetty

colettybetty

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Oct 5, 2003
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Horsewalkers get a bad press, 'Oh, they're for lazy people who can't be bothered to ride..' 'They're so boring.. a treadmill' -I can hear some of you saying and fair comment, but they can be a valuable piece of equipment in keeping horses fit when riding is difficult and reducing weight when horses could be at risk from laminitis. Any of you use them and why ? What kind of surface do they walk on and is it round or oval ? Or do you have access to one and never use it ?
 
Have used one before for horses that couldn't be put out to graze due to laminitis or for bad grazing etc.

Cheyenne didn't like it but Maz Buck and Plonk all fine with it. Was good on a summers day if I didn't have time to ride all 3 horses before an exam and never had a problem with horse walkers. Ours was oval on rubber chipping surface.
 
The one we use is on rubber, which is swept every other day. The rubber matting is replaced when it starts to wear down.

I would say for the yard I help on its invaluable. The horses go on twice a day, once each way, for the same length of time. So therefore there is no worry about them becoming one sided.

We had a horse on box rest. Big strong 18hh. He was good to hand walk, but very strong, so when the vet allowed it, he started building it up on the walker. This made him less fresh, and hes now back to being ridden and is being a complete gent. However I believe the routine of the walker helped him.

Its also been great for a little mare that we can't ride (rescue mare) shes just a companion, but is a very good do-er. Because she comes in every day, she can go on the walker and be lunged/long reined when time allows. This has helped keep the weight off her, and we dont have to worry about lami.

It also saves bother for if we've bathed the horses, or theyve got hot when worked, to cool them down. Especially as a lot of horses are ridden per daily, it saves the YO time.

Completley invaluable peice of equipment IMOH
 
They are perfect for briging horses back into work, esspecially ones that are dangerous to be ridden at first
 
inhs said:
Here's a report I found..

http://irishnhsociety.proboards41.c...linformation&action=display&thread=1195740744

they're going out of fashion I've been told in irish racing yard due to injury to horses through concrete floors, etc. Could you longline or walk in hand instead?
Click to expand...

I don't have access to a walker at the moment, had one at a former yard and was converted. Agree with the comments in the report, I wouldn't use a small round one with a concrete floor but the type Ace87 has is a better design. In my former livery it enabled those at risk from laminitis to have a summer on the grass, used twice weekly for 30 minutes and kept the hunters fit. I too, couldn't fit in enough quality exercise for both of my good doers to stay out 24/7 without it. I long line,hack and school, lunge seldom because it strains the joints with a heavy horse , but my cob loved going on, used to practically drag me to it, used to find his own pace and cruise round long and low with out interference.
 
Id love to have one! If i did then id have a fit pony on my hands right now, not one thats hardly been worked all winter!
 
I rarely put my gelding on the one at my yard as he has a lot of joint/muscle problems, and its circular with rubber matting. No one has bothered to sweep it out for months so its also full of horse poo, which is just perfect for a barefoot horse with thrush :rolleyes:


The only time I use it is when I think he's lame and there's no one else around, so I can see him moving on a circle!


I much prefer the ones that give the horse a chance to go on a straight line.
 
My welsh D got incredibly fit on the horsewalker and eventually would spend an hour on it in total as he was on limited turnout and had only recently been broken in so wasn't doing much ridden work. He loved it in the horsewalker and would drag me to it and would only come off if he was hungry :rolleyes:

Nelson and Sietske have both been in one, Nelson also loved going round and round (walker was in the middle of the yard so lots to look at) but Sietske hated it and would panic when she wanted to stop but couldnt and vice versa.

So i think its down to the horse and what they like/dislike and what the owners are trying to achieve, obviously an inhand walk/longreinging/lunging is going to be more beneficial from a training point of view, but by means of exercise while mucking out or trying to fitten the horse with it getting over exciteable (without tiring the owner) a walker is more beneficial
 
I have no experience whatsoever of using one so my comments are based purely on comments from others. I think they are a good idea for bringing horses back into work, coping with good doers that need extra exercise etc and generally a useful extra 'tool'.

What I hate is the experience that my cousin had a few years ago when her pony was on full livery. YO sold off loads of land suddenly so turnout was unexpectedly extremely limited (stabled 24/7 most of the week all year, with just a few hours turnout each week) but all horses went on the walker daily as a turnout replacement.

I really don't think a horse walker can replace turnout altogether for a healthy horse - it might provide exercise but totally ignores all the other aspects of turnout such as grooming, rolling and grazing which IMO is totally essential equine behaviour.

So I cringe when I see yards that boast of restricted turnout but use of the horsewalker instead.....I can't see that the two things should be related :confused:
 
The horse walker on my last yard was invaluable in aiding Joe's recovery - without it - we'd all have gone crazy (you try walking a horse in hand three times a day when its been on box rest for 3 months solid!!!) I agree tho that some people do "abuse" horse walkers - they're not a substitute for proper turnout or exercise - tho they are good for warming up - and of course if the weather is foul and you have no turnout or dry tie up area - they're good for when you are mucking out.
 
at the yard where i work we have a walker. we use it alot. with the yard being a stud yard there is so much horses that need worked but cant get ridden or walked out inhand.
its a round one and on soil.
all the horses really enjoy it!
 
We have a walker which i used to use a lot but i haven't used it for weeks now as Pride started to get bored of it! He only used to go on for 20mins while i mucked out or if he was hot/sweaty after a ride but he ended up stopping it all the time.
For a lot of people at the yard it is really useful and i dont have a problem with them as long as they are used properly!
 
We have a walker on a large circle with rubber flooring and always kept clean. It is really only used at this time of year as the paddocks are so muddy that if the horses churned all of them up we would have no spring grass. They do get turnout on some of the paddocks but all get to stretch their legs on the walker too.

It is very helpful in my view. I agree it isn't an alternative to turnout completely but is better than being stuck in a stable all the time.
 
There was a walker at a yard where I loaned a horse once. Never saw anyone use it, looked really out of place too as it was just sat there away from the menages and wasn't...I don't know...presentable enough.

The base was of sand, tis all I know.
I think they are very beneficial if your horse doens't mind them. I'd find them of great value in winter, pop horse on while you muck out, then horse has gotten some work if you couldn't ride for same reason.

Wouldn't rely on it, or use it permanenty though. Gem used to get bored of loose schooling, she's go nuts in a HW! :D

X
 
the horse walker at my yard is constantly on the go
with the happy hackers from the prize dressage stallions going on
by walkin at a swift paste on a walker it will help build muscles alot more than trotting will

all the horse use it at my yard
never had a problem
are anyones walkers electrified
 
lauraandharvey said:
are anyones walkers electrified
Click to expand...

Yes, there is a button that we can press to electrify the grids in between. I personally don't like it, neither does the YO, it is only a tiny shock and we have only ever had to use it once in the 2 years they've had it with horses going on it every day. It was a last resort and the vet who was at the yard at the time (vets are based at the yard) advised it.

Anyway, I like walkers. Provided they aren't used to replace "proper" work and they are used for the same amount of time on each rein and not for masses of time. My horses go on every day and it hasn't done them any harm. It was invaluable for building up Skippy after box rest and strengtheneing his tendons before he went on the roads. (Vets advice). Our yard's has rubber matting and any horses who strongly dislike going on there don't get put on.
 
inhs said:
Here's a report I found..

http://irishnhsociety.proboards41.c...linformation&action=display&thread=1195740744

they're going out of fashion I've been told in irish racing yard due to injury to horses through concrete floors, etc. Could you longline or walk in hand instead?
Click to expand...

i lunge my horse in the school to calm her down, because if i dont lunge her or walk her in the school before i get on she just gets too excited and throws me off.... its nothing to do with her back, teeth, or saddle shes just naughty, at the minute i cant ride her because she knocked my confidence last time i got on her when she tried to throw me off on to a concrete floor it scared me. so at the minute lungeing, doing parelli, and walking her are theonly things that i can do with her.
 
We have one. Clover has to been in 24/7 atm as the fields are a muddy floody mess so he goes on once a week on the day I don't ride. Also I have to shampoo him twice weekly for a skin condition so if the weather is nice he goes on it when he's drying as it's more pleasant for him than drying in his stable in a cooler. Also if it's a nice day and I feel he wants a bit more 'out door time' he goes on after he's worked.
 
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