Following 'rug clips and haynets'... 'rug clips and walkers'...

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Tickles

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I really don't like using the walker as I'm super-concerned about falls in there and, frankly, think it is lazy. But, being practical about timing (he can warm up/down whilst I muck out/put down new bed) and knowing he likes it *much* more than being tied up on yard with nothing to do I do use it. Espec. when he is in due to weather.

Today another livery's horse was in there with a hooded turnout rug done up underneath but only with one of the four buckles at the front/under the neck and head collar on loosely, everything was flapping. :-S

Made me stop and think. I *don't* leave mine's head collar on but *do* put him in there in rugs (since YM panicked me about azoturia of fully clipped, except legs, horse). Presumably this is an accident waiting to happen...

So, time to get to the yard earlier so I can loose school/lunge for longer? And make myself unpopular by tying up on yard with toys/feed whilst doing chores?
 
Sorry but for the life of me why do you leave rugs on when on the walker? As for lazy I have 9 horses a day in to exercise and it warms up and cools down the horses correctly for me to work them, without one I could not realistically exercise all the horse correctly. As for falling a properly secure walker with secure footing should never give you this concern.

Do you wear rugs when walking a horse to warm it up before you properly work it when ridden? This is why exercise blankets and walker rugs were invented.

Azotoria is caused by lack of exercise and overfeeding and horse (excess protein after period of rest in the muscles) using its muscles on a walker will soon warm up quickly with exercise and actually keep azotoria at bay. Poor stable management causes Azotoria not walkers.

Take their rugs off and get them walking, the body has an amazing way of controlling the temperature and slow steady exercice is one of the best.
 
I didn't ever leave a rug on in the walker until YM told me to. I've never had a clipped horse before (furry ponies at RS's & RDA - bit different!) so was following orders so to speak.

She also suggested I should wrap his summer sheet around us as a make-shift exercise sheet but as she wasn't around when I was tacking up I didn't risk us getting in a tangle. We just made sure we marched out and trotted where possible (frozen fields) to stay warm.

I'm only his sharer and owner doesn't have an exercise sheet or similar for him yet (TBH I've never heard of walker rug but will google...). She occasionally rides with something wrapped around in extreme cold (frozen ground, riding in walk only) and puts him on walker in rugs.

But you're saying you think best to put him on naked and ride him that way too? Or exercise blanket for both?

The falling thing I worry about becasue he is spooky and does jump (all four feet off the floor) when startled (e.g. by catching sight of a wheel barrow), becasue there is a shoot on the farm (sudden loud noises/dying birds dropping on his head!) and becasue /everything/ occasionally trips, espec. when bored with going in circles and allowing mind to wander or being more silly than usual as frustrated by lack of turnout. And of course becasue if he got rug/head collar/shoe caught in anything that could casue all sorts of falling/being pushed by walker issues.
 
NB - nearly everyone at this yard seems to have rugs on in the walker whether DIY or on livery. Not sure what is usual though as as well as these all being posher horses than I'm used to it is a posher yard - first time I've had a walker to worry about!
 
None of mine go on with a normal rug, if really cold as now they have either an exercise rug or a walker rug on as it is suprisingly how quickly their muscles and bodies warm up. For work iin the school or hacking no not one of mine were a rug the muscles warm up quickly an a good active walk does the job very well imho. Never had a horse tie up on me, this is normally down to overfeeding and little exercise.

If you are worried (which is a real problem on the walker) about him falling, then as ours you have to sit an watch them to ensure there safety, or as you say time them up oustide your stable to do necessary jobs.

A horsewalker in the ideal world should be supervised all the time. However, being realistic I put mine on watch for the first 5 minutes are so as that is the time when they are going to be silly then get on with work, but I can hear from the barn if it stops or something is being silly very quickly.
 
At the yard where I work all the horses go on the walker in rugs and have never had any problems. It is a very well made walker though with nothing for them to get caught up on. A lot of them are fully clipped so I wouldn't want to put them on with no rug as they would get cold.
 
At work we have to take all rugs and headcollars off but I do put my own horse on with his rugs still on. The fully clipped horses looked frozen yesterday in the icy wind and snow without their rugs.
 
All the horses at the yard where I work have walker rugs and headcollars left on. If it is snowing or raining they have their turnout rugs on. We have never had any problems.
 
Horses at the yard i'm at ATM are pretty much all fully or hunter clipped, and usually go on the walker with a stable sheet/cooler type thing (if it's really cold) or with a rain sheet on if it's wet. Agree it doesn't seem very nice to have to walk round in the cold completely nekkid.
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They all wear headcollars too- because TBH, should there be an accident/fall and we had to get them all off quickly, it would be a bit of a struggle trying to get headcollars on in order to remove them quickly and efficiently.
They all obviously have all straps tucked in though, and a few have Fieldsafe ones.
 
I don't have a walker, but if I did I wouldn't put my fully clipepd horse on it at the moment without a rug. I don't turn him out without a rug (where he is able to trot etc) so I wouldn't expect him to walk without one.

I understand that the horses will do more work on a walker than if they are turned out, but thats my way of seeing it
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Thank you everyone. As this is the only expeience I've had with walkers it really helps to get a balance of views from different perspectives. Cheers!
 
Ours go on the walkers in summersheets if they are clipped, or light turnouts if its wet. They all wear headcollars on the walker , and have never had one get caught.
Have had one get stuck under a paddle though and it was wearing a headcollar, much easier to get off without having to try and put a headcollar on a panicking horse with legs flailing.
 
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