28/03/2025
Why is our water treadmill different?
💦 The water level is set deeper than you might have seen else where. As you can see in the picture below, Fred is 16.2HH and the water level is set for him mid shoulder level.
💦 Have you ever tried walking in water? The resistance created by the deeper water makes it really good, consistent exercise. Time on the water treadmill will considerably raise your horse’s heart rate. Great for fitness and weight loss.
💦 The water level can be raised or lowered to meet the needs of every horse. Whether that is just for size or a special requirement, as Caesar is shown below working in knee high water at the vets request.
💦 The treadmill is in the ground, often making it less scary putting larger horses in, the horse itself finds it less intimidating and they are at a safer level once they are in.
💦 The water level is usually set at a compromise between deep enough for maximum buoyancy and low enough so the horse can still get its head down and work with a rounded back.
💦 The buoyancy is great for injury recovery, as a horse can exercise effectively and limbs can experience a full range of motion whilst putting minimal weight through them. Brilliant for tendon/ligament recovery- not to mention the cold water therapy!
💦 Anther reason the deep water is beneficial is because of the overall shape it encourages the horse to make. Water buoyancy raises the thorax and abdomen, further enabling the horse to work with a nice rounded shape and open up the vertebral spaces- great for spinal injury/surgery recovery.
💦 As the treadmill is set in the ground it makes assessing the movement horses are making easier to analyse. Biased movements and stronger ‘sides’ become obvious to spot. We can add boots to help strengthen a particular leg, as the boot makes the hydrodynamics less efficient, therefore making said leg work harder.
💦 The ramp down to the treadmill allows the horses to keep walking onto the treadmill as it starts, they keep walking seamlessly, so no standing still anticipating what is going to happen next.
