Bella3puff
Well-Known Member
Does anyone swim there horses?
Any feedback on good or bad sides.
Thinking about swimming a pony we have.
Any feedback on good or bad sides.
Thinking about swimming a pony we have.
Swimming Horses
- Thread starter Bella3puff
- Start date
Tia
Well-Known Member
Yes I take some of my horses swimming in the summer. There is a swimming hole right at the end of my woods. The horses love it
. You have to make sure that wherever you are swimming is safe though, and make sure nothing can pull them down ie. weeds etc.
Here's a piccy of our swimming hole.
Here's a piccy of our swimming hole.
mrgoop
Well-Known Member
Have always wanted to swim a horse, but never been lucky enough
WOW Tia, can i come and live with you?????
WOW Tia, can i come and live with you?????
Tia
Well-Known Member
Sure! Any good at housework?
I'll let you ride every day for 4 hours a day if you do my house.
mrgoop
Well-Known Member
For 2 pins i'd be on the next plane. Can i bring Max and the terriers. My daughter can do the housework, i hate it, lol
Tia
Well-Known Member
Animals are fine - children acceptable so long as they can work!
k9h
Well-Known Member
I use to work at the first public equine swimming pool in the North!
Great fun, Not all horses take to it but we have a 100% record of all horses going in & coming out!
http://www.northernequinetherapy.co.uk/index.htm
One lap of this pool was class as the same as galloping a furlong but without any stress or jaring of the joints.
Very good for keeping fitness whan they are a bit sore. Also they went under the solarium after. When they come out they are actually sweating for their efforts. You swim them both ways so as to keep them even. When they get good at swimming you can just have one person swiming them from the middle island & just shout to whoever on yard to spin the bridge for you!
Great fun, Not all horses take to it but we have a 100% record of all horses going in & coming out!
http://www.northernequinetherapy.co.uk/index.htm
One lap of this pool was class as the same as galloping a furlong but without any stress or jaring of the joints.
Very good for keeping fitness whan they are a bit sore. Also they went under the solarium after. When they come out they are actually sweating for their efforts. You swim them both ways so as to keep them even. When they get good at swimming you can just have one person swiming them from the middle island & just shout to whoever on yard to spin the bridge for you!
Bella3puff
Well-Known Member
Do you think it can upset them jumping in to water afterward cus they may think its deep?
Do you think it can improve a horse that is not that keen on water?
I teach a kids that parents run the local swimming pool and was chatting to her about it today
I'm 50/50 over whether to swim one of our ponies
Do you think it can improve a horse that is not that keen on water?
I teach a kids that parents run the local swimming pool and was chatting to her about it today
I'm 50/50 over whether to swim one of our ponies
mickey
Well-Known Member
Haven't swum my horse, but at his previous home he used to take himself off for a swim apparently! He lived upstream from a mill house - The yard owners got a call from the neighbours one day saying that a coloured horse was swimming towards the weir!! He must have had enough of his field! Knowing my horse, that does not surprise me in the least!!
jcberry
Well-Known Member
My friends pony has had quite a long time off with feet and leg injuries and they have sent her to a swimming pool quite a few times. Most of them are just long narrow pools, and the horse swims straight down, with a person holding a rope attached to the horses head either side.
The walk in down a slope and then gets deeper. Most ponies/horses do about 2 or 3 lengths the first time and then progress to more.
I was amazed when i saw it, and the horses i saw go into it were suprisingly very well behaved!
I wil try and dig some pics out for you.
The walk in down a slope and then gets deeper. Most ponies/horses do about 2 or 3 lengths the first time and then progress to more.
I was amazed when i saw it, and the horses i saw go into it were suprisingly very well behaved!
I wil try and dig some pics out for you.
k9h
Well-Known Member
Never had it causing a problem with hunters or jumpers. More get them over their fear of water than the reverse. Also can still jump water after rather then thinking they have to go into it!
First timers usually just do one lap then out & then repeat on the other rein.
The racers use to do about 10-15 laps then come out turn around & go back in on the other rein & do the same amount of laps.
So where really fit! I was to if running on outside of pool was much better when they only needed one so always on the island!!
First timers usually just do one lap then out & then repeat on the other rein.
The racers use to do about 10-15 laps then come out turn around & go back in on the other rein & do the same amount of laps.
So where really fit! I was to if running on outside of pool was much better when they only needed one so always on the island!!
Emma123
Well-Known Member
I've taken my pony swimming before in a round pool and he loved it! Did it to improve fitness with less wear on his joints.
Always jumped into water after so that was never a problem, but jumped into it before so don't know if it would help those who are scared.
Always jumped into water after so that was never a problem, but jumped into it before so don't know if it would help those who are scared.
lucemoose
Well-Known Member
Where can you find places that have swimming pools for horses?
k9h
Well-Known Member
Also the pool is never heated even in winter as can cause nasties to grow!
Have found a vid of a horse swimming for you, can see when it comes back into the shute how hard it has worked. You always hold them there a moment just to regain their legs then come out about turn & back in!
http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=h...m%3D1%26hl%3Den
Have found a vid of a horse swimming for you, can see when it comes back into the shute how hard it has worked. You always hold them there a moment just to regain their legs then come out about turn & back in!
http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=h...m%3D1%26hl%3Den
showjump2003
Well-Known Member
I live 5 mins from the beach and used to swim my 13.2hh coloured cob regularly as she was so safe, used to hack her to the beach bare back and swim out pretty far! I still live by the beach but now I have bigger/dafter horses I don't tend to swim them although I did take them both in last summer and they didn't mind it!
merlinsquest
Well-Known Member
What is that noise in the video???
dieseldog
Well-Known Member
I had a very strange horse that would never go near a puddle but would swim in the sea. But only in straight lines so I usually had to aim her at windsurfers so I could get her to turn back to shore.
lifeslemons
Well-Known Member
Yep I always swim mine. I cannot recommend it enough, and was first introduced to it by my trainer (who swam one of his three times per week in the two months up to Badminton.)
I use the facilites near Cheltenham Racecourse. The first time I went I was scared they could drown as the pool is VERY deep, but they are attached by robe lines to a pulley system and the people are very competant.
My horse has very upright confirmation so gets a lot of concussion up his limbs, and this completely prevents me wrecking him by galloping him two plus times a week (when most injuries usually occur.) About ten minutes is equilvent to a really serious hard gallop. Because it is quite hard work the horses are required to use all their muscles, which esp strengthens their hind ends in my experience.
Oh, and its 7 quid per horse, but well worth it in my opinion! Go for it if you can!
I use the facilites near Cheltenham Racecourse. The first time I went I was scared they could drown as the pool is VERY deep, but they are attached by robe lines to a pulley system and the people are very competant.
My horse has very upright confirmation so gets a lot of concussion up his limbs, and this completely prevents me wrecking him by galloping him two plus times a week (when most injuries usually occur.) About ten minutes is equilvent to a really serious hard gallop. Because it is quite hard work the horses are required to use all their muscles, which esp strengthens their hind ends in my experience.
Oh, and its 7 quid per horse, but well worth it in my opinion! Go for it if you can!
lifeslemons
Well-Known Member
AND ALSO
this sounds stupid but my little theory is that it can help injuries too, because the currents are similar to in a spa. Probs a load of bull, but it helped with a splint on one once
k9h
Well-Known Member
[ QUOTE ]
What is that noise in the video???
[/ QUOTE ]
I did mean to say!
Do you mean the kinda snorting noise every few seconds??
If so that is the horse breathing, sounds really bad but that is because it is an indoor swimming pool so equstics (spl) really good & also it vibrating on the water.
Also if the horse is to be swimming most effectivly then you should see it's rump breaking the surface of the water.
What is that noise in the video???
[/ QUOTE ]
I did mean to say!
Do you mean the kinda snorting noise every few seconds??
If so that is the horse breathing, sounds really bad but that is because it is an indoor swimming pool so equstics (spl) really good & also it vibrating on the water.
Also if the horse is to be swimming most effectivly then you should see it's rump breaking the surface of the water.
Bella3puff
Well-Known Member
Thank you for all your replys
The pool is a circle and the lady said he will go in once and just go round and come out then go in and go the other way round and out again and not to swim to often cus of getting the pony too fit, I have seen quite a few swim there when I took a race horse for someone I worked for but never swam my own.
Still thinking
The pool is a circle and the lady said he will go in once and just go round and come out then go in and go the other way round and out again and not to swim to often cus of getting the pony too fit, I have seen quite a few swim there when I took a race horse for someone I worked for but never swam my own.
Still thinking
MillbrookSong
Well-Known Member
we swin quite few a work - racing yard - when they have foot or leg problems as it keeps them fitter than being on box rest!!
custard
Well-Known Member
Yes big fan of swimming and have done it lots with Will. If anything has made him quite confident going into water he loves it!