What does a horse walker do?
- Thread starter Dark Storm
- Start date
Dannii that's nothing, when Stevie was recovering from his tendon/check ligament we had to walk for AT LEAST an hour a couple of times everyday in the end
By that point he was on field rest rather than box rest and I must admit, I gave up and left him in the field in the end. There needs to be a smiley rolling around on the floor laughing, for incidents such as this :giggle:
I agree, I know that time constraints put a lot of emphasis on how we keep our horses (especially for me as I have five) but from my experience, I just hate horse walkers and would rather turn the horse loose in the school for a leg stretch than that.
Personally I'm not a fan of horse-walkers, but I do see them as preferable to a horse doing literally nothing, if exercise / turnout is not an option. I do worry though about the fact that there's more than one horse in there and if you could actually get to them quick enough if something went wrong.
My boss invested in a treadmill last year and it's worth its weight in gold! They can go on 24- or 32- minute cycles and you can either keep them on the flat for the whole cycle or pick one of the pre-set cycles that incorporates hillwork. You set the speed according to the horse's stride, ours are between 105 and 115 metres per minute (although we had a temporary livery who was on 125 - real power-walker that one!). We mostly use it for the competition horses for general fitness but the liveries go on it too on the days they're not being lunged or ridden. Out hacking it's difficult to get a horse walking at a consistent speed and really striding out, but on the treadmill they don't really have a choice
It has enormous physical benefits, especially because they don't have a saddle and rider on their back to impede their movement. Ours really seem to enjoy it too, and most of them will paw at it when they've been clipped in and are waiting for it to start :giggle:
If I was a yard manager I would choose a treadmill over a horse-walker. The only problem is that you can only do one horse at a time on a treadmill, and I guess that's why many yards want to have a walker, because they can do multiple horses at once.
My boss invested in a treadmill last year and it's worth its weight in gold! They can go on 24- or 32- minute cycles and you can either keep them on the flat for the whole cycle or pick one of the pre-set cycles that incorporates hillwork. You set the speed according to the horse's stride, ours are between 105 and 115 metres per minute (although we had a temporary livery who was on 125 - real power-walker that one!). We mostly use it for the competition horses for general fitness but the liveries go on it too on the days they're not being lunged or ridden. Out hacking it's difficult to get a horse walking at a consistent speed and really striding out, but on the treadmill they don't really have a choice
It has enormous physical benefits, especially because they don't have a saddle and rider on their back to impede their movement. Ours really seem to enjoy it too, and most of them will paw at it when they've been clipped in and are waiting for it to start :giggle: If I was a yard manager I would choose a treadmill over a horse-walker. The only problem is that you can only do one horse at a time on a treadmill, and I guess that's why many yards want to have a walker, because they can do multiple horses at once.
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At this moment of time, I still haven't had Shadow in there, He's a little on the slim side this side of winter, so feel, that even just two sessions a week would be too much, he's already been ridden 5-6 times a week, out in the day time now - winter turnout - (he's had the last 5 days off due).. Unless they can't let them out (ice/snow) then I might consider it..
I can see how maybe it would work for racing yards and places like that (can you put more than one horse in it at the same time?), but if it's just one horse wouldn't lunging be as good, and more interesting for you and the horse?
Agreed. However, I do know a lot of people who have their horses on DIY livery and in the winter they simply don't have time to do their chores AND exercise during the week. You might not have time to do your mucking out etc and lunge your horse but if you had access to a walker you could pop them on it while you did your jobs.
Since going full livery, the only thing I have to worry about is the exercise part, and the mollicotting :giggle: Shadow is starting to act like a spoilt brat, guess I can't have it all then? Watched a horse on walker today... left to her own devices.... she looked real happy to see us when we walked past (me and Shadow) and winnied at us as though to say "At last another horse! Get me out of here!" She was in there at least 30 mins..
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