Why horse walkers can be beneficial
Honestly, who hasn’t asked themselves (at least once) what the point of horse walkers is? Whether it brings the horses anything at all or if they are satisfied with it? Is the horse walker a substitute for riding or going for a walk?
Well, the answer is not simple, nor can it be answered yes or no. Some horses and their owners complain about musculoskeletal disorders, lung and respiratory problems, metabolic disorders or obesity. Our horses are – just like us – on average not as fit as they should be, because regular extensive physical exercise is missing. If the horse is then, nevertheless, moved for several hours, it can also easily come to overload, which leads in the worst case to injuries and chronic diseases. Exactly at this point a horse walker can provide relief: As a training device. However, it does not replace leisure time and free movement in the paddock, regular riding or walking in the countryside on different surfaces, which is just as important for coordination and fitness/condition. Horse exercising also requires a training plan and consideration of various physical and mental clues.
Warm-up and fitness
In case of injuries one gets to hear from veterinarians to only walk with the horse, because it is the most gentle and healthiest gait and also important for the physical fitness/condition build-up of every horse, no matter what age. Longer walking units are an optimal fitness/condition training. The ideal would even be one to four hours a day at a walk – without rider weight. The horse walker can help with this. However, the horse should not spend more than 40 to 60 minutes in the horse walker.
In an indoor arena with rather deep sand, injuries to the ligaments and tendons of the horse’s legs can occur. It makes sense to let the horse walk on hard ground in the horse walker for 15 to 20 minutes before riding: this warms it up for further work and reduces the risk of injury.
Horses can not only build up physical fitness/condition in a horse walker but also get rid of tension, release and loosen muscles, warm up or cool down after riding. In addition, horses can learn to walk at a steady pace in the horse walker. It can be an additional training opportunity that takes away some of the time-consuming work and makes it easier to move horses more as needed. Horses then benefit from the horse walker not only physically but also mentally.
Important to note
If several horses go into the horse exerciser at the same time, it is important to note that ranking relationships should be avoided at all costs. Who walks well behind each other, who does not want to get too close to anyone and where it is better to leave a compartment free in between. Also, the horses should be about the same size and have similar stride lengths. In addition, a supervisor/human should always be nearby. Especially in bad weather, wind, rain or hail, the noise level (with metal roofs) can already be very high and the horses can become restless.
Scientific research about horse walkers
Up to now, there is unfortunately only little scientific knowledge about horse walkers. If you want to read more details and documented results on this topic, you will find interesting information in the following two studies:
- Innovative use of an automated horse walker when breaking in young horses (by Jack Murphy, Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science, 2008)
