polyphonic
Well-Known Member
How would you approach it? I had a walker available but never but Flint on it, I didnt know how he would react. How did you teach your horse to walk on a walker?
putting a horse on a walker for the first time??
- Thread starter polyphonic
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Fattie_Hattie
Well-Known Member
i will be interested to see thr replys to this post because we are having a horse walker put up on our yard and i have never put hattie on one before. It will be good to see how others have approached it before i do myself.
RachelB
Well-Known Member
We just stick an "old pro" on and then the "newbie". They soon get the hang of it as long as you start them off slowly (so they actually walk when the partition comes up behind them) and are careful when turning them round. We usually have our five-bay walker full so if there's one new horse on, they soon get the idea. If they're stubbon going on them we "load" them as if they were awkward going into a lorry or trailer.
KatB
Well-Known Member
Put them on on their own to start with, so if they do anything stupid you havent got another horse to worry about. We put a 4yr old on the first time and just led her round the first time so she got used to it, then took the headcollar off and let her go round on her own. They seem to pick it up quickly without a prob.
Parkranger
Well-Known Member
unless they're blind in one eye and try to turn around in it! Had to stop putting Ty in it as he whacked his head so many times....
Agree with Silmarillion
Agree with Silmarillion
RobinHood
Well-Known Member
When I put mine in the walker for the first time I had to put it on quite fast so that he didn't have time to turn around and someone walked round the outside with him for a few minutes. He soon got the idea and now gets very excited about going on it - strange pony
Guinness
Well-Known Member
My horse is barred from horse walkers. He walks too slowly and burns the motor out because he lets it push him round!
piebaldsparkle
Well-Known Member
I just put her on and started it up. I stayed there for a while to check she wasn't going to do anything stupid, if she were nervous, I guess I would have walked round with her 1st.
kanter
Well-Known Member
Most horses pick it up really quickly and are not bothered.I would also let the newbie follow the pro and would definitely NOT walk round with the horse (inside the walker) as this puts you in a very vulnerable position. I had one horse that would keep trying to look behind her and did turn round once, so we used to tie her with quick release trailer clip to a piece of string on the grill in front of her.
RachelB
Well-Known Member
[ QUOTE ]
My horse is barred from horse walkers. He walks too slowly and burns the motor out because he lets it push him round!
[/ QUOTE ]
That's why I'm glad we have electric on our walker! Is it wrong that I enjoyed zapping the pain-in-the-arse stallion when he tried to sit on the partition?!
My horse is barred from horse walkers. He walks too slowly and burns the motor out because he lets it push him round!
[/ QUOTE ]
That's why I'm glad we have electric on our walker! Is it wrong that I enjoyed zapping the pain-in-the-arse stallion when he tried to sit on the partition?!
lilpinkdonkey4
Well-Known Member
My YO put mine on for me, you can always tell if shes been on with a certain horse as she becomes scar face! otherwise shes fine (i presume, ive never been told otherwise!)
em1
Well-Known Member
Agree with putting newbie on behind an older one - that's what I did. Basically just stick them on and set it going - usually there's not a lot else they can do but walk on. I've never seen one throw a wobbly though sure it could happen.
Ours has electric also - the odd horse does learn that if they stop then the walker stops and a quick zap soon dissuades them from doing that!
Ours has electric also - the odd horse does learn that if they stop then the walker stops and a quick zap soon dissuades them from doing that!
Seahorse
Well-Known Member
I just put my horse on it on his own and turned it on, he was fine.
I was expecting him to be really silly but he just walked around like he had been on one every day of his life!
I was expecting him to be really silly but he just walked around like he had been on one every day of his life!
Seahorse
Well-Known Member
[ QUOTE ]
My horse is barred from horse walkers. He walks too slowly and burns the motor out because he lets it push him round!
[/ QUOTE ]
LOL! Axel was barred from the walker at my old yard for doing exactly that!
We even tied him up to the front of it and he stopped it that way too by walking really slowly and leaning back
That one didn't have electrics on it though, I'd love to put him on one that did just to see him get zapped!
My horse is barred from horse walkers. He walks too slowly and burns the motor out because he lets it push him round!
[/ QUOTE ]
LOL! Axel was barred from the walker at my old yard for doing exactly that!
We even tied him up to the front of it and he stopped it that way too by walking really slowly and leaning back
That one didn't have electrics on it though, I'd love to put him on one that did just to see him get zapped!
glenruby
Well-Known Member
Preferably put a horse that is well used to a walker in the partition in front. It is advisable to walk a few circuits with the horse first leading him while the walker is on slow speed then make sure to keep an eye on him until he is settled ( at least 10mins).
With the Thoroughbreds we build them up to trotting at quite a forward speed to build muscle and get them fit but we have found usually 2-3 horses every year ( out of approx 40) just dont get the hang of the walker or are dengerous on it. These horses either reun under the partitions ( the are heavy duty weighted rubber and wire mesh +/- electric current, the second walker has wooden partitions but not used with the yearlings as they tend to be more erratic and likely to kick out and injure themselves.), kick out, stop dead and keep trying to turn around. Any horse who doesnt gel to the idea of the walker after 3-4 tries will be lunged daily instead.
With the Thoroughbreds we build them up to trotting at quite a forward speed to build muscle and get them fit but we have found usually 2-3 horses every year ( out of approx 40) just dont get the hang of the walker or are dengerous on it. These horses either reun under the partitions ( the are heavy duty weighted rubber and wire mesh +/- electric current, the second walker has wooden partitions but not used with the yearlings as they tend to be more erratic and likely to kick out and injure themselves.), kick out, stop dead and keep trying to turn around. Any horse who doesnt gel to the idea of the walker after 3-4 tries will be lunged daily instead.
Bossanova
Well-Known Member
As Silmarillion said.
Do not walk round with the horse inside the walker. This is SO dangerous.
Do not walk round with the horse inside the walker. This is SO dangerous.
jesterfaerie
Well-Known Member
At the uni we have to introduce a new horse to the walker this way..
Have two people and if possible one who is quiet on the walker. Lead the new horse around the walker pushing the partition in front of you, ask the other person to turn the motor, slip out of the gate and encourage the horse to move on.
I don't personally like the idea of walking the horse around the walker though
Have two people and if possible one who is quiet on the walker. Lead the new horse around the walker pushing the partition in front of you, ask the other person to turn the motor, slip out of the gate and encourage the horse to move on.
I don't personally like the idea of walking the horse around the walker though
Bossanova
Well-Known Member
It doesnt need to be done- we've never, ever had a problem with them not understanding and must have had at least 35 different horses on it now.
I would refuse to walkround with the horse- if it panics and loses reasoning, theres no where for you to go. Could turn very nasty
I would refuse to walkround with the horse- if it panics and loses reasoning, theres no where for you to go. Could turn very nasty
jumpthemoon
Well-Known Member
OMG - I'd never walk round with the horse inside the walker! Far too dangerous IMO. I introduced my two to the walker on our yard a few weeks ago - I have one who is pretty good with everything, so she went on in front, then my dippy WB spent the entire session with his nose at the grill trying to say hi to her
I just put them on, got myself out of there and set it going at a reasonable walk speed.
I've worked on a few yards with walkers and must have put over 100 different horses on walkers. I've never seen a horse get injured (I'm sure it happens, but I don't think very often). If we had one that would mess about, or were putting a stallion on with others, we'd put the electric on and all would be fine.
I've worked on a few yards with walkers and must have put over 100 different horses on walkers. I've never seen a horse get injured (I'm sure it happens, but I don't think very often). If we had one that would mess about, or were putting a stallion on with others, we'd put the electric on and all would be fine.