HORSEWALKER HELP NEEDED PLEASE....?!?

gem666

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Hi everyone!

I am in the middle of purchasing my own yard, i would really like to install a horsewalker but have heard so many bad things now about the circular ones being to harsh on the legs and even the rubber surfaces now are not such a good idea?! I have heard about the oval walkers but i assume these take a lot more space up? and to be honest am struggling to find suppliers of them? One thing i thought i could do to save a bit of cost is leave it uncovered and just have it installed inside my new open barn...has anyone done that?

Any info on peoples experiences would be really appreciated!

Thanks
 

redredruby

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Hi, cant help i am afraid but was curious what u had heard about the circular ones that was bad. We have one on my yard that i use alot.
 

Imogen_

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I've not looked into it, but the oval ones with the straight sides are becoming more popular because apparently the circular ones are not good in the long run.

Make sure you get a very good walker though. We had one at uni which I used a lot as we didn't always have turn out and in the winter I couldn't always ride/lunge twice in one day to stretch her legs.

I only let her on it when I was mucking out, luckily it was next to the stable so I didn't take my eyes off her. I stopped using it when she slipped and fell once, scared the life out of me. On the other hand, I know lots of yards that leave them on it for quite some time unattended with no problems.
 

Shay

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There is nothing wrong with the circular ones per se - it is when the circle is very small and horses are put on it for long periods of time without being turned. Think of lunging on a small circle in the same direction for long periods of time. Even at walk you're going to put a lot of stress on the joints.

As long as you are sensible about using the walker given its size and your circumstances then there is no problem. If you are going to use it as an alternative to exercise or for long periods you'll need a much larger or ideally an oval walker. But if you are only going to use it for short periods as a warm up / cool down aid then you can get away with a smaller one. Either way you should change direction frequently.
 

brown tack

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Circle ones are fine, get the biggest one you can afford so that it's too much strain, change direction often. Vary the horses work load, I tend to find people that have walkers don't tend to lunge, so from the horses point of view it's less damaging. Make sure you have a good surface. We have one inside an barn that works great. Don't hammer the horses around it, I've seen some people setting it at a fast trot for an hour, you don't ride like that so why set the walker that fast. I aim for gentle hacking walk, not a amble but not over pushing it. 30mins max is enough. Good bit of kit but used wrong often IMO
 
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We use them alot at work and they are a godsend! I agree about getting the biggest one possible for you. We have 2 outdoor walkers and one indoors in the barn and so long as they are regurlary swept out and kept clean you shouldn't have any problems with horses slipping on them. We never use them for more than 1/2hour at a time for each horse and never at more than a nice walking pace. They are fantastic for horses that have been on box-rest and require controlled walking excercise - bung them on, shut the door, close your eyes and put your ear plugs in :D After 3 or 4 days the novelty of being out the box and messing around on the walker has worn off and they then plod along sensibly.

Our outdoor walkers are uncovered. I think if you put a cover over them then you need planning permission? Or some form of do-dary thing for it! In a barn or out uncovered I think you are fine.
 

MerrySherryRider

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There has been some research to show that the oval ones are better, but a good sized round one with a decent surface isn't so bad.

However, if I had the option, I'd probably prefer the oval if cost wasn't too prohibitive.
 

showjump

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I bought a new house and yard over winter, and on christmas eve completed the horse walker! I was restricted on size, so had to have a small one. However i use it most days, very handy to put them on whilst doing jobs, or if they seem fresh!
Heres some pics of mine, i opted not to have the metal fencing as i think it looks ugly, this horserail fencing its great, its plastic rails and injury free. We had a nightmare with the surface for the floor tho, and after hours and money mis-spent on rubber mats and getting them to stick, we have ripped that up and put rubber chips in it. (pics show it before the rubber!)
walker2.jpg

walker.jpg
 
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