Horse Walker's - Pro or No??

[SO1]

The one at the rehab yard my pony is at is a huge 10 horse walker and the vets do recommend it for the rehab horses and the horses are not all under the same vet practice either so it is not just the opinion of one vet either.

My vets are the RVC and often bring students they are teaching as well when they come out and I would like to think that they know what they are doing when recommending the walker.

It is very difficult to walk a horse in hand for 40 minutes twice a day without turning at all unless you had a huge field or went on the roads which is not always safe when walking a horse on box rest in hand, even if they were walked in the school then would have to turn frequently.

Can't quote on phone, but exactly what maesfen said. I'm not entirely convinced by the rehab use either, unless its a huge one. Last thing a horse with compromised movement/fitness needs is to be walking in a small circle.

 

[Cuppatea]

At another yard we had a treadmill and the horses utterly loved that. Stallion used to let himself out the stable and stand on it in the morning!

Where i used to work we had a big grass bank behind the walker that we would turn horses out on for an hour. We were having a cuppa one day when we saw one horse Red walk ff the bank, nudge open the door of the walker, put himself in and push the paddles round with his nose. I SO wish i had a video camera at the time!!

I cant do without a walker, winter or summer. To spend an hour extra per horse warming up and cooling down ON TOP of however long they work would kill us.

I dont know anyone who uses one INSTEAD of road work, it is a totaly different form of exercise.

 

[Littlelegs]

SO1, like I said if its a large one, I don't have a problem. But walking round a corner is very different to being constantly on a small circle. I wasn't aiming my post at anyone on here, more people in rl. Eg vet recommends in hand walks for ligament/tendon damage. Numpty sticks horse on a tiny 4 horse walker instead.

 

[lucemoose]

Think they are brilliant, not as a substitute for fittening work but to get flab off fatties or just get an otherwise stable bound horse out and moving. Not to mention drying off after a bath, or cooling down and warming up gently.