Are you planning to buy a stallion or a mare? Or do you perhaps race horses? Either way, you should be aware that exercising is very important to keep those animals in shape. Also, if you want your horses to be among the swiftest on the track, you’ll need to give them the proper training. For that, you’ll need to use a couple of pieces of equipment, namely a horse water walker and a treadmill.
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If you’re wondering if it would be a great idea to invest in those kinds of equipment for your equine athlete, below are the benefits of using a horse water walker and treadmill that you may not be aware of yet.
Run Faster
Practicing with water walkers and treadmills on a regular basis will help horses work on their pace. This will also help in increasing their speed while they’re on the track. Depending on the required speed training, there are different types of walkers and treadmills you can choose from. You’ll find one for gallop training, walking, and trotting that may help boost the speed of the animal over time.
Stay Fit
Equine athletes need to stay fit so they’ll be able to keep up with the demands of playing at a competitive level. Just like human athletes, they have to get adequate exercise every single day. While they can go out and run in an open field, it’s best to give them indoor training by allowing them to use water walkers and treadmills. This way, you can keep an eye on them and better control their movement.
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Ask a Vet Live NowEnsure Safety During Training
Training a horse isn’t easy. Horses running in the wild and even open spaces may be exposed to infection as well as risks of injury that’ll surely weigh them down. Water walkers and treadmills offer a safe and secure environment for equine athletes to train. Most importantly, you won’t need to worry about an injury that may keep your horses out for the season.
Build Endurance
People increase their endurance levels by using treadmills at the gym or going for a long run. The same goes for an equine athlete. So if you want your horse to have more endurance, then you should consider investing in a horse treadmill or water walker. A high level of endurance is necessary if you’re looking to increase the chances of your horse winning.
Recovery
For equine athletes dealing with a soft tissue or orthopedic injury, exercising on a horse water walker is a good way to promote healing and build condition and strength. There are various methods you can use to tweak your horse’s workouts to help with recovery or rehabilitation.
Usually, for an equine athlete with ligament or tendon injuries, a water walker is suitable after some treatment and a period of box rest. Keep in mind that getting back to exercising too early can be harmful to your horse. But if you incorporate them at the right time, a water walker and treadmill will help in reducing inflammation. They’ll also increase the flow of blood through the tissue fiber. Moreover, there’s a lot of research suggesting that water walker training is good for building bone density in people, so many believe that the same would apply to equine athletes.
Improves Mental Well-Being
Another benefit of using water walkers and treadmills is that it may help equine athletes with mental invigoration and stimulation. Whether your horse is in pre-training or in the middle of preparing for a race, you may see improvement in its behavior with regular exercise on these pieces of equipment. The longer equine athletes do these types of calming exercises, the better their behavior will be.
Tips When Using Horse Water Walkers and Treadmills For Equine Athletes
Before exercising, make sure your equine athlete is clean to help keep the equipment and the water clean. Pay attention to their feet and limbs. Throughout the session, pay extra attention to your horse and note its movement patterns.
If your horse has abrasions and cuts, it shouldn’t undergo a water walker exercise within four days of their most recent joint injection. Check your horse’s limbs closely for signs of conditions such as mud fever that may be worsened by submersion. Regular immersion in water may also badly affect the integrity of the skin as well as delay wound healing.
Lastly, know when to stop. Overtraining will do more harm than good to your equine athlete. So as the owner, you should never push your animal too hard. If you notice that your horse is tired, then allow it to take a rest or just continue training it the next day to avoid injury.
Final Say
If you’re living out in a barn and currently have or are planning to buy horses to help out on the farm or stay with you as pets, you may not think that water walkers and treadmills are necessary. But if you’re planning to join equine sports, having those pieces of equipment will increase your odds of winning. To stay healthy and fit, your horses need proper, adequate training. Please note that this should be performed on and off the racetrack.
If you have a few horses on your team, a gym may be ideal to keep all of them in shape. But it would be better if you had your own training equipment for convenience. If you don’t have a big budget yet, you can start with a horse treadmill and a water walker. You’ll find that these pieces of equipment are useful in maintaining and improving the physical and mental state of your equine athletes. They’ll also help improve endurance and speed levels during competitions.
Today, you’ll be able to see a lot of water walkers and treadmills available on the market. However, not all of them are made equal. Thus, choose equipment that’s of excellent quality and made of durable materials. Also, see to it that the size can accommodate your equine athlete. For the treadmill in particular, the pulley should be firm enough to handle stallion training. You should also obtain equipment that doesn’t need a lot of maintenance. Lastly, check or read reviews for the best brands to help you make a good decision.
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Tom
Tom has always loved to write since he was little - he wanted to be either a writer or a veterinary doctor, but he ended up being a professional writer while most of his works are based on animals. He was born in San Francisco but later moved to Texas to continue his job as a writer. He graduated from the University of San Francisco where he studied biotechnology. He is happily married and a soon to be father!
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