Has equine swimming helped anyone's injured horse?

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kgj66

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I have two 'broken' horses. One with the start of a very small bone spavin-has had Tilden and field rest and showing a lot of improvement. Going to start hacking on vet's advice for 3 weeks and if she gets worse will look into fusing the joint.

Other horse damaged sacroiliac ligaments 2 years ago and has been in the field since. She is still lame when flexed but is field sound and happy (but fat).

There is a place close by that has an equine pool - I think it would be a good experience for them both anyway, but wondered if anyone thought it would help either horse. The mare with the bone spavin is the one I have my hopes up for getting better asap, but have a feeling that swimming isn't necessarily going to benefit a joint problem?

Any stories or advice welcomed!
 
:confused::rolleyes::rolleyes:
bonny said:
I wouldn't,horses aren't meant to swim !
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my horse has swam and it helped her.

to say horses were not meant to swim is ridiculous

horses is training really benefit from it. I am trying to find a local pool as the one i used has seized using it

always run past our vet
 
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Leviathan said:
:confused::rolleyes::rolleyes:



my horse has swam and it helped her.

to say horses were not meant to swim is ridiculous

horses is training really benefit from it. I am trying to find a local pool as the one i used has seized using it

always run past our vet
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not ridiculous, horses are not meant to swim, they swim if humans make them but I don't think they benefit or enjoy it.
 
I would take the advice of a good Physio and your Vet. Swimming will probably be good for them but you may have to do some strengthening exercises first such as walking out in hand. I say this as my mare has kissing spines, we have just done 5 weeks of pole work and walking out in hand up hills. She is now ready for ridden work but her regime is closely monitored by my Physio.

Swimming is quite demanding in different ways and you wouldnt want to put any undue stress on your horses.
 
OP - not the same as yours, but I had a TB who fractured his radius at the age of 18. The prognosis was poor but we sent him to rehab (where I eventually liveried him at) after the box rest and he swam three times a week for 12 weeks. He returned to full work (by full work I mean exactly what I did with him before the injury) which was hacking, dressage and we used to go to a local gallops a couple of times a week. He returned to work after the swimming rehab sounder than ever.
 
bonny said:
not ridiculous, horses are not meant to swim, they swim if humans make them but I don't think they benefit or enjoy it.
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I totally disagree. My horse used to get so excited when he went swimming, that we couldn't hold the lines he was so strong trying to get in the pool. He used to canter into the water sending a wave round the pool.
 
bonny said:
not ridiculous, horses are not meant to swim, they swim if humans make them but I don't think they benefit or enjoy it.
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Tell that to my TB. He loves the water.

He plays in the water trough in the paddock (feet in it, dunking his head into it, will stand under the sprinklers when they are on and comes over to get a hose off in summer when the water containers are being filled up.

He takes himself off to the dam in the paddock and will play in the water and when he goes to the beach, you have to drag him out of the water. He would literally stay in the water all day if I let him.
 
bonny said:
I wouldn't,horses aren't meant to swim !
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A lot of racing yards incorporate daily swimming into horses regime and the horses love it often running to get in!

Humans arent meant to swim either but it is certianly good for us and is regularly used for people with injuries
 
My mare (died last year) had a sacroiliac injury and on the advice of my vet I swam her for three years.

It is hard work for them, and after she'd had the winter off we used to build her back up gently, but she loved it and I think it made the world of difference to her.
 
My mare went for hydrotherapy in 2010 after struggling for months with arthritis related soundness issues. She loved it and came sound after two weeks there, and I would definitely take her again. It really helped Bella, and before our vet recommended it I'd never heard of it but that way of exercise clearly worked for her :)
 
Helped bring my mare back to fitness post op on her annular ligament and improved her topline. She certainly seemed to enjoy it - especially the lovely heat lamps on her back afterwards. Was it William F-P tho' that had a horse that wouldn't go through water after having swimming therapy? I worried about that a bit but am pleased to say that she still jumps in and gallops through all water jumps better than ever. I agree with others tho'. Talk with vets/physio - I did with the vet that operated on her and the one that treated her post op and both agreed it was a good idea.
 
Victory Tilly is a quite famous, now retired, Swedish Harness racing trotter, he even has a Wikipedia page in English. 2002 he became the fastest trotter in the world, winning a race at 1:08.9 (= 1:50.4), still a valid world record for all-age geldings.

from Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victory_Tilly):
2003 - 8 years old

Similar to the previous year, Johansson let Victory Tilly enter a few smaller races in the spring before making a trip to Agnano, Naples, and make a second attempt to claim the prestigious Gran Premio della Lotteria. After a successful fight for the front position with Legendary Lover K., the Swedish gelding could not be caught, and the winner's purse, consisting of US$230,000, was Victory Tilly's.

Elitloppet and the injury

Three weeks later, Victory Tilly and his connections were in place at Solvalla Racetrack, Stockholm, to make a fourth effort to win Elitloppet. A win in the elimination meant a good post position in the final. Nevertheless, Swedish From Above claimed the title while Victory Tilly finished second, one length behind.

Shortly after the race, reports came that Victory Tilly had been injured. The horse was taken to a veterinary clinic and a severe damage to his right hind suspensory was diagnosed. Trainer/driver Johansson stated that the healing process would take at least six months, and that there even was a risk Victory Tilly would never return to the tracks.

There was a plan to once again travel over the Atlantic to face North America's top trotters in July and August, but the trip was cancelled, for obvious reasons. A part of the cure to heal Victory Tilly, was to keep him in good shape without stressing his injured leg. This was done by swimming in a lake.

In the abruptely ended racing year of 2003, Victory Tilly won US$448,852 and four races in six attempts.
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SPORT-14s33-tillysim-9_368


According to a Swedish article (http://www.aftonbladet.se/sportbladet/article10387936.ab), Victory Tilly had stopped being lame, were asymptomatic after 1 months swimming. But the owners (Stall Kalas) and his trainer (Stig H Johansson) preferred to not take any chanses, so Victory Tilly stayed and swim trained for a month or two more, before he went back to his trainer, that continued taking it slowly with him.

Victory Tilly competed again 11 months after the injury, did have a little health problems now and then, but competed successfully some times per year during 2004, 2005 and 2006. When he retired 2006 as 11 years old, he had (according to Wikipedia) earned US$5,168,902 (€4,085,814), a sum that made him the richest Swedish trotter ever.

:)
 
Inglis Dreaver won 2 World Hurdles and numerous other races from a swimming only training regime. He got sat on for a week before each race and swam the rest of the time.

It is possible to get a horse totally totally fit and happy by swimming. He was only ridden so he had had someone on his back before he raced so he didnt deck the jockey on leg up!
 
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