Water Treadmills - Anyone Used One?

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Has anyone here used a water treadmill? If so how did your horse cope with it? Was it for a long period of time or a one off? How long did you put them on it for?
 
My boy went for sessions on one after his PSD op , I think he worked up to 15 mins on it so not very long. It did seem to help and he improved; then he struggled getting into and out of it and we discovered the navicular in front. Not sure we'd have picked up on it so early if he hasn't been going on the treadmill.
 
I used one regularly for one of mine. He walked straight in no problem. He did wonder what was going on when the treadmill started then realised he had to walk not just stand there. He never bothered when the water started to flow in. I found it to be a fantastic way to keep him fit and would Definitely reccommend.
Always worked for half an hr sessions , we went twice a month for about 18mths
 
Hi yes I've used Surrey Equine Water Treadmill near Gatwick on a regular basis. I had my youngster there and the sessions really helped her to strengthen and straighten without any strain/stress. As a then 4 year old PRE she was quite sensitive, but, they have a lot of experience with all types so the introduction to the experience was very easy.....took to it like a duck to water, (sorry, couldn't resist)

Sessions start relatively short if I remember and water is added only once the horse is happy and each time the water, speed and duration is upped, so by the end you have a much fitter stronger over the topline horse. I must have used it for about 6 months in total, but, results were quite quick only a few sessions made a difference.

As a bonus the noise the water makes coming in and draining out helped with baby training unusual noises too! So much better than going endlessly in circles on a walker as well, I wish we lived close enough to keep going, but, I'm now too far.
 
My little guy goes for 30min sessions approx once a fortnight but started with 3 times in a week. It’s about 20mins he’s on the treadmill. Walked on after a bit of a look without anyone having to walk ahead/behind.
 
Water treadmills are a bit like marmite - you either love them or hate them.

However, anyone can buy a water treadmill and set up in business so the secret is to find one where the people are au fait with getting the horse to use itself correctly whilst on the treadmill............otherwise you just strengthen/reinforce an incorrect way of going.

One college near me has a very bad reputation as they don't have the appropriately skilled people to manage.

A good centre will firstly familiarise a horse with a normal treadmill to get it used to the ground moving under its feet. They may well advise a low level of sedation the first time the horse goes in the water treadmill and will only have water up to hoof height initially. Ultimately, the water can be up to stifle height, but so much depends on the horse, the reason it is there, injuries, fitness etc etc - such factors will also determine the duration.
 
I’ve been taking my boy to the water treadmill in Rudgwick, Equine Aqua Training. Initially I went for once a week for six weeks and now I’m going every other week and will do so for another couple of months. The difference has been amazing and really strengthen my boy.
As a super hot and spooky Jazz horse, I was worried what he would make of it, but walked in first time and has never batted an eye lid! Seems to enjoy his sessions and practically takes himself in now.
 
gunnergundog said:
One college near me has a very bad reputation as they don't have the appropriately skilled people to manage.
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I cant remember if you are near me or not, but it doesnt begin with an M does it? I was planning on taking mine up there a couple of times a month to swim/water treadmill as another way of exercising while saving his joints from pounding down the road
 
Do you use it for fittening? Or injury rehab?

I'm not 100% convinced that they do any more than walking along the beach in the sea or through a deep enough stream just minus the weight on their backs.
 
EKW said:
Do you use it for fittening? Or injury rehab?

I'm not 100% convinced that they do any more than walking along the beach in the sea or through a deep enough stream just minus the weight on their backs.
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That's kind of what I reckon too, but I don't have access to a beach or even a stream. The one I plan on using is local though, not sure I would be travelling long distances to use one.
 
I have known 2 use them for rehab, different specialist yards, and both ended up with simply awful mud fever that made them sick enough to need antibiotics rather than just topical treatment.

For this reason I would be wary! I suspect the machines are not cleaned out and with many horses passing through and skin softened by the water it is a hotbed for infection.
 
Red-1 said:
I have known 2 use them for rehab, different specialist yards, and both ended up with simply awful mud fever that made them sick enough to need antibiotics rather than just topical treatment.

For this reason I would be wary! I suspect the machines are not cleaned out and with many horses passing through and skin softened by the water it is a hotbed for infection.
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I have used one for rehab and this concerns me too. They tell me the water goes through a filter to move any large particles but the same water goes round and round the system and advised me to wash legs after due to bacteria. It is a little off putting ! Means I wash the horses legs when I get home and dry thoroughly before turn out
 
whiteflower said:
I have used one for rehab and this concerns me too. They tell me the water goes through a filter to move any large particles but the same water goes round and round the system and advised me to wash legs after due to bacteria. It is a little off putting ! Means I wash the horses legs when I get home and dry thoroughly before turn out
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Is there any reason that prevents addition of some kind of disinfectant to the water, similar to what is added to swimming pools for people?

Or maybe use something similar to the Vink hydromatic footbath after a session on the treadmill?
 
Keith_Beef said:
Is there any reason that prevents addition of some kind of disinfectant to the water, similar to what is added to swimming pools for people?

Or maybe use something similar to the Vink hydromatic footbath after a session on the treadmill?
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Sounds like a fantastic idea but I have no idea why they don't/can't do this. They use a bucket to catch any poo and when they miss a bit the water goes green and I always think how yuck it is that it will continue to circulate like that ! They must change it at some point but from what they have told me it's not that often
 
EKW said:
Has anyone here used a water treadmill? If so how did your horse cope with it? Was it for a long period of time or a one off? How long did you put them on it for?
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My two friends (sisters) took their horses to a place for a fortnight when they went on holiday and they went on the treadmill each day. Their were well muscled when they came back as it is quite a workout and its is very good for 'resistance workout' as part of a rehab too. The place obviously starts them slowly and builds up the time- there horses had gone to the treadmill prior to there owners holiday at least once a week for about two months.
 
I think I would swim them for fittening over using a water treadmill. We used to have a normal treadmill and would do early fittening work with the harness horses on there (it was sloped so they were constantly having to use themselves and march on a gradient), as it's on a straightline I think it's better for the legs than a walker. When they were then in full fitness and racing regularly if they'd had a tough race or the ground was hard we would then use a local horse swimming pool - just a straight line one, and would find that 3-4 lengths through there would work them hard enough and maintain a good level of fitnesss without any extra stress on the legs. It does depend on whether the horse takes to it or not though, one of our mares walked through on her hind legs :eek: whilst it proved how strong her hocks were we never took her through it again.
 
Well its like any piece of kit, it depends on how it is used and what it is needed for. For instance, you wouldn't use for cardio fitness. However, it is a useful tool for core strengthening work, resistance training, improving straightness and limb reach. The water should never be more than mid cannon height and the difficulty of the work is determined by the speed of the treadmill and the length of time used. And the water should be cold, with a disinfectant and salt mixture and be filtered.

I've used one on vet and physio (both GB team consultants) advice for a show horse that hated doing any fast work so building up fitness was a nightmare. On improving his core and muscle strength he then found his faster work much easier and as a consequence cardio fitness was improved. The people who I went to knew what they were doing and we had no issues at all. In fact the horse enjoyed his sessions very much and enjoyed time under the heat lamps and on the vita floor after each session. His legs were washed off before and after and dried too.

I would use again depending on what I wanted to achieve with the horse in question. Its all about understanding the benefits and the horses needs.
 
whiteflower said:
Sounds like a fantastic idea but I have no idea why they don't/can't do this. They use a bucket to catch any poo and when they miss a bit the water goes green and I always think how yuck it is that it will continue to circulate like that ! They must change it at some point but from what they have told me it's not that often
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The one I used the horses all wore a nappy to collect any poo so there was never any circulating in the water. The machine had massive filters. Not sure if the water contained any chemicals, but it was more dense than sea water because of the salt added & is very cold, so I doubt much would breed in there. My horse certainly improved after injury & I would take her again, certainly no problems with bacteria.
 
When I used the go at a college there was a very good physiotherapist that was in charge , she gave my horse a good thorough assessment before hand and worked him accordingly to what and how the work load I was doing with him.

I stopped going after she left and no one in my personal opinion was qualified/ experienced enough
I do think it’s vital that a program of fitness is used and someone of a professional background ie physiotherapist/mctimoney etc is in control
 
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Ours cleans the legs with an antiseptic before and iodine’s the feet and then hoses legs off after. It’s no more magical than stream/sea walking but I’m not spending 20min walking at 7km/hr in a stream in this weather thanks! Different if you have access to those things and enough staff to do it. Swimming would be even better but no local facility that’s more than a simple in and out.
 
personally would not use one due to my theory that i like my horse to use the whole of its body if poss during work. ie. on a treadmill the lower part of the horse is working under a different resistance pressure to the top half, i can see that swimming could be interesting because the whole process is slow and equal to the whole of the body without driving one part harder than another.
 
tristar said:
personally would not use one due to my theory that i like my horse to use the whole of its body if poss during work. ie. on a treadmill the lower part of the horse is working under a different resistance pressure to the top half, i can see that swimming could be interesting because the whole process is slow and equal to the whole of the body without driving one part harder than another.
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...but the muscles are the things powering the legs, surely? The location of the resistance is irrelevant.
 
as usual its my personal view for my horses, others can do as they wish.

but i do think like when riding through, say for example, when riding through a deep patch on an arena or any deep going when the horse is struggling to move the legs the loss of balance is extreme, you can feel it cause you are on the horse, the resistance feels very hard on the horse.

i do know someone who manufactures treadmills and had a really good look at using one, but my first thought was why just the legs?
 
Cortez said:
...but the muscles are the things powering the legs, surely? The location of the resistance is irrelevant.
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Because of horse anatomy, it is relevant.

All the locomotor muscles in a horse are above the knee/hock, the movement of the lower limb is effectively a lever action attached to pulleys, with tendons/ligaments transferring/controlling the forces generated by the muscles higher up.

So with a water level below the knee/hock, the muscles will work harder, but may also work abnormally.....think about trying to walk through shallow water....you tend to alter the way you walk, eg lifting knee higher.

With a water level to the belly/part way up ribcage, there is a more general resistance to movement....think aerobics in a swimming pool.

With swimming, the high head carriage leads to compression of the back, and again, abnormal movement.

All will increase muscle, but for a competition horse, the deeper water will produce a much better anatomical result, while having the benefit of reducing the weight on the limbs.
 
tristar said:
personally would not use one due to my theory that i like my horse to use the whole of its body if poss during work. ie. on a treadmill the lower part of the horse is working under a different resistance pressure to the top half, i can see that swimming could be interesting because the whole process is slow and equal to the whole of the body without driving one part harder than another.
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Tristar, what's your opinion on using a straight, normal treadmill for walking, not water treadmill? Due to the lack of water would the horse then have a more 'normal' workout?
(I'm not trying to be awkward just for the sake of it - genuinely interested in your opinion as you seem to know about these things.)
 
my neighbour has bought a normal treadmill for himself,! so i said why not just go for a walk instead.
i cannot give a scientific explanation as i just a simple soul, sorry npage123 however, i don`t like the look of horse walkers, or water treadmills or treadmills. maybe its because they are not natural and in some way interfere with slight hesitance in occasional steps, the relentless regularity as opposed to normal flow of movement in which different subtle variations of gait are possible.

to be honest i have no clue as to whether a normal treadmill is a better workout and am not likely to find out as i would not use one, not much help here.

i would prefer to hack or ride a horse under saddle and feel how it is on starting a rehab and how it progresses, i would be able to feel any improvement or otherwise and act accordingly.

also any treadmill may have some effect on warming up and warming down, as it is mechanical how can it feel if a horse needs a very slow warm up on a particular day as horses often seem to need a different approach on different days according to how they feel, just like us, and is it normally conducted in just one posture as opposed to when ridden when they can stretch right down or come up as they feel they need to do avoiding aching muscles.
 
[QUOTE=tristar

also any treadmill may have some effect on warming up and warming down, as it is mechanical how can it feel if a horse needs a very slow warm up on a particular day as horses often seem to need a different approach on different days according to how they feel, just like us, and is it normally conducted in just one posture as opposed to when ridden when they can stretch right down or come up as they feel they need to do avoiding aching muscles.[/QUOTE

It is for the staff, (in constant attendance) to monitor and control the work including warm up and cool down which is done without water. As for being in only one posture this is not the case, the horse is not fixed in any way and very soon discovers, with the help of staff, that the best way to be, is stretching down and forward with abdominals engaged and swinging freely over their backs in a more self carriage kind of way. They are free to change their posture at any time, but, will generally choose the easiest way to work.

As the viewing / handling platform is raised you can look down on the whole horse in motion and see how they are using themselves tip to toe so to speak. The one I used was often used to help vet and or phsio evaluate rehab cases.

Of course you can achieve the same by walking through any body of water and if you happen to live near the sea and fancy walking and leading though deepish (depending on how tall you are!) water that's great or riding through if your horse can be ridden. This is merely a more convenient version for the more landlocked of us!
 
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