Ok guys advice needed on horse walker/ play pens etc..

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showjump

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As per title, some will know im building a new yard for my horses. Now i work, and currently have 4 in, 3 of which are in work.. not as many as some of you i know. However, im looking into the possibility of a horse walker, play pen/ lunge pen, treadmill (v expensive tho) to help me out..
Now my OH says a walker is too big an area to take up! He thinks a treadmill would be the same price by the time you lay base, concrete etc for walker?? I would love a walker, as then it wouldnt be the end of the world if i havent had time to ride them for a day, however a play pen for then really wet days would save my life, then horses can turn themselves inside out without me being on board!

So main question is, those with a walker how much do you use it? Could you live without it now you have one? Also how much did it cost roughly?

Any more ideas, or help very much needed. I need to convince my OH it will save the fields.. anymore positives that may help me twist his arm much appreciated!!

Thanks
 
Do the horses get turned out every day? I find that if the horses can get out every day for at least and hour it stops them running around like loons too much and also helps to keep them a bit more supple.

I personally dont like treadmills, i do not believe they are great for the horses legs and would use a walker. I am not keen on walkers and the more i have to do with them the less i like them - well actually i think it is how people use them but that another story. I would always go for the biggest size walker your property can accomodate, the bigger the circle the easier on the legs. I do not like rubber matting or a sand surface , apparently the best surface for the legs is concrete with a layering of sand on top though have not seen a walker with this surface in years!!!.
 
Are you having a school built? If you are i wouldn't think you would need a playpen as well. you could use the school to turn them out in if the weather was awful and they needed to stretch their legs. Tredmill would be my last option, you need to be with the horse at all times so it would not save you any time, the point of the walker is you could put all 4 on it while you mucked out and then it would save you loads of time. If you put each horse on the tredmill individually for 15/20mins think how bored you would be by the end plus it would use 4 x the electricity as well. If you don't have a school playpen would be the best option as you could use it for lunging and turnout but it would not save time like the walker would as they couldn't go in together. I would go for School and Walker :) The other thing to consider is that the walker will get a lot of use in the winter when the horses are not going out but will not get any use in the summer where as a play pen may be used all year round for lunging etc. Hope that makes some sense!
 
Yes that makes sense, thank you.

Im having a school yes, however not sure one of my loonies could be trusted with a whole school to play in!! But yes im having a decent surface so turning them out in there would be fine.
Didnt think about treadmill taking up more time, and fuel etc.. very good point. Its just the physical size of the walker, would make an impact on our 'small' yard!
 
Allover- horses will be turned out weather permitting, however we want to keep the field in as good a nick as poss. So hence if i had walker, they could go on that if they are staying in that day etc.

Yes that was my next question, what surface do people find best?
 
We are also in the process of completing a yard and have the concrete base down now for the walker.
Although the area is large it it equally compact and walkers can look suprisingly neat in a nice little corner.
It was really important for us to get a a large circumference in order to minimise leg strain. I would have gone for a Kraft walker if money were no object but they are massive money.
We selected a 50 ft Odon covered, six horse.
It has the automated control panel and water sprinkler system.
Odon were very competitive and I would recommend them based on our experience to date.
You can estimate about £1000 for the concrete base.
We are using crumb rubber as the walker surface which shoud be around £1.5k. We chose this after months and months of trying to figure out the best approach. The rubber tiles are very easy to maintain but again we were a little worried that the lack of natural foot slip/movement on the solid tile may contribute to limb stress. We roughed off the concrete and will lay a couple of inches of sand with rubber on top. If it doesn't work out it won't be too difficult or expensive to replace.
 
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Can you give me a link to there website? My OH can sort me a base out, as its what he does for a living. With our set up its all alone one side; american barn lengthways, 20 x 40 arena lengthways after barn, then would be walker at end of that (if i cant persuade him to put it before the arena.

How much do you think yours is going to cost?
 
showjump said:
Allover- horses will be turned out weather permitting, however we want to keep the field in as good a nick as poss. So hence if i had walker, they could go on that if they are staying in that day etc.

Yes that was my next question, what surface do people find best?
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Then they can be very handy to have, make sure you get a decent roof on it!!!! I like to not put them on for too long (30-40mins) and not too fast!
 
showjump said:
Can you give me a link to there website? My OH can sort me a base out, as its what he does for a living. With our set up its all alone one side; american barn lengthways, 20 x 40 arena lengthways after barn, then would be walker at end of that (if i cant persuade him to put it before the arena.

How much do you think yours is going to cost?
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Sure the link is here: http://www.odonequest.com/heavy_duty_horse_walker.html
The full kit and caboodle covered and automated comes it at around the £20k mark (converting from euros).
Without the automation they came it £17k
It was definitely around 8-10k less than other well known competitors.
 
I was new to walkers as they're not very common in Canada, but I've now worked with a couple of options. I'd pretty much echo above re go as big as you can - one was a 4 horse and it was a VERY small circle. It does depend a bit what you're going to use it for but it strikes me as a false economy because if you ever have to put a horse on it for rehab or similar, a small one is not going to be very useful, even apart from regular strain.

One place the footing is straight roughed concrete. It's actually not too bad at all and I can't see how it would be any different than doing slow road work. It is very large though so the horses don't have to turn hard, and the horses that use it are very settled.

Another is top of the line (rehab yard) with full rubber mat lining, including panels, and rubber brick over a concrete pad. It does have a little bit of a drainage problem because the holes on the bottom of the panels get plugged but it provides good traction and it would make sense it's a fairly low impact surface. Very safe inside, too. I think it cost upwards of £20k though, even a few years ago.

The above place also has a 75' longe/play pen and I LOVED it. They don't usually turn out in it (they do have turnout and most of the horses are out of racing so limited turning out anyway) but everything goes in every day for a measure of loose schooling and it makes an amazing difference to their rehab. It has a Martin Collins surface, I believe, sourced cheaply from left overs from a temporary arena. It does take man hours though and, as mentioned, it's one horse at a time.

Neither are roofed and while it's annoying to have soggy horses, they go on in walker rugs if it's cold. I think roofs are lovely but then you don't have roofs over turn out . . .

I'd say if it's a choice and you're going to have a school, go walker. How much you need to trick it out depends a bit on your horses and what you're going to use it for. I know one place that has a "budget" walker where the panels are made of electric fence tape! Works fine for their relatively quiet crowd. The ones for QHs in North America are often just arms with tie ropes - I can't see horses here going for that but again, it works for them!
 
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showjump - I am also in the midst of pricing walkers (eek!) and assessing surfaces etc.

We have an arena but I find if we turn out in it horses will often dig up the surface which isn't ideal. We've had liveries who also chew the fence - the horse that is!

Whilst we do offer 52 week a year turnout there are times when I or liveries prefer not to use the fields (high winds say or ice) and we have a sand turnout paddock of about 25m x 25m that we don't ride in and is only used for turnout. It is great and also very useful for when new arrivals are being isolated etc and not yet on the fields.

I do think we are at the stage that a walker would be invaluable but so far the price is still the biggest hurdle as I don't see the point in having one without a roof. I will look at the company suggested above but so far Monarch seem to be the most competitive despite being a big name.
 
Walker definitely! If they are not going out you can put all 4 on it whilst you muck out 2 x daily, also it is great for fitness if you compete seriously. Also echo not using a rubber brick/mat surface as it doesn't provide any slip and can be bad for legs.
 
We've got a proper round pen and I do love it. The YO takes horses for breaking, so obviously vital for that, but we also use it for lunging or loose schooling older horses, and it's just about big enough to ride in at 20x20m - it was moved from the old yard where it was invaluable when the school flooded/froze!
We also use it to turn out the stallions if the paddocks are slippy, and if a horse needs an easy day, they love a quick loose school followed by a mooch about in the pen and a roll.
The surface is important - we've got shredded carpet over sand, and it doesn't track or bank and rarely needs raking. Plus it never froze last winter and could even be used in the snow, although my mare would insist on rolling and was then cross to be cold/wet :D
Solid sides to about 2ft with bars above are also useful, especially for youngsters
 
What I really want is a set up I saw years ago in an American barn (which is pretty much every barn in Canada . . . maybe they should be Canadian barns?). They had a very wide centre aisle so they had effectively put a track surface down (the opposite of a "race barn" with the stalls in the middle and the track around the outside - the go to old style for race horses in Canada) and an overhead chain system in a big oval with hanging tie ropes. So you just took a horse out of the stable, popped it on the nearest tie ring and sent them off walking while you mucked. Bliss in Canadian winters and since the horse were in front of you the whole time and enclosed, very safe. I suspect the draw back was cost and the unreliability of the mechanism though. I saw a similar one in a round Arab barn (oddly, round stallion barns are popular at very high end places) which was effectively a giant donut shape with a centre room the the walking path, then the stables. Oh, to win the lottery . . .

Sorry, I'm not really helping, am I. I'm a big fan of anything that makes horse keeping easier!
 
I have a cheap and cheerful walker with a sand surface, I use it 3 or 4 times a week my TB box walks so if he is staying in for the day it means he can go on there while muck out which makes him more settled in the stable. It's also good for loosening him up in morning when I am squeezing in a quick hack before work
 
measles said:
showjump - I am also in the midst of pricing walkers (eek!) and assessing surfaces etc.

We have an arena but I find if we turn out in it horses will often dig up the surface which isn't ideal. We've had liveries who also chew the fence - the horse that is!

Whilst we do offer 52 week a year turnout there are times when I or liveries prefer not to use the fields (high winds say or ice) and we have a sand turnout paddock of about 25m x 25m that we don't ride in and is only used for turnout. It is great and also very useful for when new arrivals are being isolated etc and not yet on the fields.

I do think we are at the stage that a walker would be invaluable but so far the price is still the biggest hurdle as I don't see the point in having one without a roof. I will look at the company suggested above but so far Monarch seem to be the most competitive despite being a big name.
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Definitely worth a shop around as Odon did come in 8-10k cheaper than Monarch and for a slightly bigger one at that.

For any millionaires out there though the Kraft is the real deal: http://www.kraft-horsewalker.com/en/home/index.php
5-6 horse coming in covered at about 90k.
 
walker great for depths of winter when ice prevents usual road work/ turnout due to rock hard ground or surface in your school. much easier to grit walker to allow them to at least get a leg stretch
 
I have 7 horses 3 in full work 1 in half. We are in the middle of our walker being put in. We chose monarch, they are doing 2 yrs intrest free finance. We are having rubber pavers and a roof so we can use it all year.
I looked at a treadmill but felt that it would be time consuming for me having to work them individually.
I have put in a small gravel based wood chip topped play pen for them to go out in 2s and already this had been a lifesaver. The young ones still go in the fields but the ridden horses get 1 to 2 hrs in the pen, ridden and then when the walker is in they will do half an hour on that. I don't really like them turned out in the school as I find it ruins the surface. The only problem I'm having is one of my horses is a bully but doesn't like being out alone so we are having to get retractable electric tape for when she's out.
I think all of mine seem very relaxed so at the moment I'm happy with the facilities
 
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Thanks the replies guys, i was thinking of a £4k 4 horse walker, and then OH doing 6ft fence around outer edge. Then having concrete and rubber matting as the surface. Then adding a roof at a later date? My lot would be on it max 40 mins per day, and not every day.

I cannot think about spending £20k or more!
 
I would say a walker and I would have rubber matting on the floor. Concrete gets VERY slippery without it. It doesn't hurt them to go on every day but I would put on the walker door an arrow pointing left for Mon, Wed, Fri and then an arrow pointing right for Tues, Thurs and Sat. They are a great time saver, great for bringing injured horses back into work, if you cannot turn out then 45 mins morning and evening will give them plenty of exercise and get them out of their stables. I'd be interested as to how often sports horse people put their horses on the walker. It's not uncommon at all for racehorses to go on morning and evening. Not that it's what you are after but these are interesting to have a look at....
http://www.equinehealthcentre.com/Products-and-services/Seawalker.htm
 
showjump said:
Thanks the replies guys, i was thinking of a £4k 4 horse walker, and then OH doing 6ft fence around outer edge. Then having concrete and rubber matting as the surface. Then adding a roof at a later date? My lot would be on it max 40 mins per day, and not every day.

I cannot think about spending £20k or more!
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I would definitely try and see what you can get second hand, they do come up every now and again.
The only concern is that less expensive walkers are typically much smaller in diameter which automatically leads to a tighter circle and more strain on the joints.
Personally I would go for a treadmill over a walker with a diameter of less than 40 ft.
Best of luck.
 
Interesting, however how much strain can walking put on there legs when we lunge then on a 20m circle enough times? Or am i missing another point? Thanks
 
I also agree that a treadmill is probably going to be as expensive if not cheaper than a walker? Agree with TarrSteps regarding small walkers - you wouldn't have this problem with a treadmill. Am a huge fan of them (while I don't like walkers much!)
 
showjump said:
Interesting, however how much strain can walking put on there legs when we lunge then on a 20m circle enough times? Or am i missing another point? Thanks
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Most of the 4 horse are 36ft but the inside diameter is 30/31 feet which they tend to hug.
A 20 metre circle on the lunge is over double that at 65 feet. Although they are probably rarely at full lenght it is where we should aim to have them again to avoid stress on the limbs. Thats where mega long lunge whips are a Godsend :)
 
I went for lunge pen/play pen over a walker, i decided the space we had would not allow a large enough walker (and the cost was far too dear for the size i would have liked) and treadmill would not help save time. The play pen allows them to go out in twos and mingle for a while on days when it's two wet to go on the fields (i like them to be able to socialise) i also start them off lunging in there and back the babies in there (much less chance of picking up great speed lol). So for me much more plus points then a walker.
 
I have a 5 horse monarch walker in the largest diameter they do with a roof. We currently have 5 who are in and in full work and they go on the walker everyday in the week whilst we muck out and get the yard done, it's a godsend tbh as last winter when we had all the bad weather my surface was unusable but they still went on the walker every day and we gritted the yard to get to it.

I personally wouldn't have one without a roof as can't see the point as won't help weather issues. We have rubber paving on the floor in ours and it has lasted well.
 
I have a 4 horse walker - without a roof with rubber matting. I would not be without it - I use it everyday inlcuding in the bad weather. I also have a lunge pen which is invaluable for lunging and backing the youngsters. My walker was not that expensive as not a well known make but I did under estimate the cost of the concrete base and the rubber matting. I also put rubber half way up the walls.
 
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