horse walkers another thought

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hollyandivy123

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does any one out there think that horse walkers can be a problem for some conformations? i use one with a large 16.3 horse and over the years (and this is a personal observation) i think that sometimes the walker speed and length of time large horses are on are detrimental. one yard i was at had a few of the larger dressage style old hunter style types, about 3 out of this horse yard ended up with joint problem having injections and months of work, they had been put on the walker from an early age. i have also seen this at the yard i am on now. we don't lunge on a tight circle for any length of time but we ask these horses with large conformations to continualy bend putting pressure on the fetlock and knee and hock joints. i still put mine on but at a lower speed which does p*** off others i admit. i don't think there is anything bad about horse walkers, just bad practice of use
 
It seems a very interesting argument to me. I think the deciding factor is how much one uses the walker for. The cases you describe seem to suggest prolonged and excessive use, where its use may even be a substitute for ridden work/exercise. Personally, I would never use a walker for longer than half an hour - put the horse on there while mucking out, which also loosens them up prior to riding.

Also, I would avoid uses a walker on a regular base if it had a stone/concrete etc floor. Not only does rubber matting minimise the risk of injury, but also the level of concussion up the joints.
 
i am more of a chuck my two on whilst mucking out sort as well. but i have known people put on for hr or so which i think is excessive. i think narrow horses physically would find the continous walker approach less strain than my wide types. also it depends how wide your walker is as well. my fantasy walker (when i am rich) would be the size of a 60x30 school so there is less stress on the joints on a nice surface maybe rubber well we can all dream.
there are loades of other factors, but i was wondering as we see an increase in joint problems whether they go hand in hand with excessisve use off tight circles on way or another. i think that putting a youngster on for a long time before they have matured their joints might pose a problem later on. these are just my observations, we do need proper work to look at joint stress and continous bending.
 
yes, i agree. i like the look of these new long oval ones, less turning then. and the seawalker is top of my lotterywin list!
i used to put my horses on for up to an hour a day, at a slow plod, and they've never had joint problems, but that was only for a couple of years. hmm.
 
I know one dealer in posh horses that puts some of the sale horses on the walker for 4 hours before the punter arrives......
 
I remember reading an article recently, can't remember where - sorry - where they said that horsewalkers can cause leg problems and that they should run on an oval/rectangle shape to save the constant stress on the same joints.
 
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