Horse treadmills

[blitznbobs]

Hi

I’ve been trying to work out where to put a horse walker on my site and it has occurred to me that a treadmill will fit inside one of our barns in an area not particularly earmarked for any thing. They look like a good option for me but has anyone used one and can tell me if they have any pitfalls (not a water treadmill a dry one)

 

[ihatework]

Yes I’ve used one when I worked on an international yard. We had both walker and treadmill.

To state the obvious, Walker is good for multiple horses to get a leg stretch and they don’t have to be heavily supervised.

Treadmill is far more productive for ‘work’ and I think better overall, but you do need to be careful to introduce the horse properly and to heavily supervise. Most horses will accept it, but I’d be nervy of letting a junior groom loose with certain horses if that makes sense.

 

[TheMule]

I agree that a treadmill is a good alternative to a horse walker, but it needs at least one member of staff to stay with the horse the whole time,
2 when the horse is less familiar with the concept, so it simply isn’t practical for lots of yards

 

[Bobthecob15]

Considering the winter we have had I would say a horse walker would be a fine investment!! We wouldn’t have coped this winter without ours considering the rain and wet fields!

 

[barefootbeginner]

I prefer the options of a dry treadmill compared to a walker - you can set on incline of varying levels and different speeds - so as stated above you can actually work the horse using them. Fab if hacking isn't very hilly and they end up being of huge use if you're rehabbing anything. I also much prefer that it's straight line work rather than always turning, and that you can influence posture too on a treadmill and can't on a walker as much. Downside, as said above, is they're much more time consuming than a walker - introductions to it do need to be done carefully and someone does need to be managing the horse the whole time on it. So, if it's a fairly stable group of horses who once introduced will keep using it, and if the intention is using it as a proper work option in this ever worsening weather, it can be far more useful than a walker. I'd say it'd be the worse option if horses turnover frequently, or if less experienced staff are being relied upon to use it, or if you're looking to get larger numbers of horses "leg stretched" rather than worked.

 

[rabatsa]

A treadmill does take up quite a bit of space and you have to allow for a large fan if you are doing any faster work.

 

[blitznbobs]

A treadmill does take up quite a bit of space and you have to allow for a large fan if you are doing any faster work.

Not as much as a walker tho

 

[Ceifer]

I think a treadmill is far better for a horse physically than a walker.

We had a treadmill on a yard I worked at. You do have to introduce it carefully and some horses did not take to it at all. However… the ones that did take to it and were happy *whispers quietly* we could leave on it happily without having to stand next to it and watch them for a cycle. As long as we were on the yard they were fine.

I’ve seen more injuries on a walker than with the treadmill - horses left unattended and ended up in the same partition… didn’t end well.