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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 399
 
| I have a gelding that I need to strengthen his back which would work better, an Aquatred or swimming? |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 534
Location: Ohio girl moved to PA | I personally love the benefits of swimming. It's so much easier on their joints and really helps them work a ton of different things! As far as your gelding needed his back strengthened i would suggest a lot of collection work and trotting over ground poles! |
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 Extreme Veteran
Posts: 338
Location: NE TX | Either one will help in my opinion. I had a vet one time tell me that swimming is hard on their backs cause horses aren't as good at swimming as other animals and the angle they have their neck when they swim makes it hard on their back.
That is one persons opinion. I would gather more info. I haven't had enough of an opportunity to use an aquatred or pool to make my own opinion and I haven't asked multiple vets yet like I planned on.
I do agree that head collection and trotting over poles or up hills will help with back and butt strengthening.
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 Reaching for the stars....
Posts: 12708
 
| I swam two of mine in 2009 getting ready for the futurity season.
My gelding 'flunked' swimming. Some horses are not symemtrical in movement and when they are not they can roll in the water. We had a very panicy minute or so getting him back to the ramp and out. He rolled twice in the open pool and barely got righted. The tech said it happens more than you'd think.
The mare muscled up beautifully. However, swimming is actually sometimes quite hard on a horses joints because of the violent full extension required and I will always put 50% of her stifle issues on the swimming (that and kicking stall walls).
I wish there was an aquatred in the area because I would use it in a heartbeat. Since their feet are used for propulsion and they are only somewhat supported by the water the aquatred is easier on their joints. |
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 Extreme Veteran
Posts: 460
| Swimming in my opinion =] Aquatred is just walking your horse on a treadmill with some water for "resistance". Swimming is actually taking weight off, and just joint movement. Very true as said above, some horses it takes them a minute to figure out, hey I need to swim to keep my head above water! There's always freak accidents with horses sadly =/ But I love swimming horses, nothing will keep one fit like swimming if they can't hold up for training under saddle =] |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 399
| We have been doing that but since I live where it is ice covered and nasty and no access to an indoor I am looking for other options so he doesn't lose all the progress we have made all summer. |
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Veteran
Posts: 242
| aquatred!! |
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 Guys Just Wanna Have Fun
Posts: 5530
Location: OH | I have swam a ton of horses but I would prefer the Aquatred---a little concussion on a horses legs is actually a good thing for tendons, ligaments, and overall bone density. |
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Gettin Jiggy Wit It
Posts: 2734
| EmtRoper - 2017-10-09 7:41 AM I have a gelding that I need to strengthen his back which would work better, an Aquatred or swimming?
To strengthen the back.. long and low with a lunging aid like a pessoa or equiami over ground poles. Nothing will strengthen the back unless they are doing back strenghtening exercises to build abdominal muscles that will raise their back and make them step deep under themselves. Eventually these type of exercises will help the start of collection. Swimming is good for horses with leg injuries but honestly for a back .. no thanks. When they swim they arch and hollow their back because their head is up and they are kicking with their hind legs more behind. So they are strung out. Not what you want for a back. I have a mare that fractured her pelvis and injured her SI. After 6 months of stall rest she is very weak. I have been doing a strict rehabilitation program with her like I explained above. In one month the inprovement Ive seen is huge. I still have a few more months to go though before I can ride. Dressage people, who have horses with the strongest backs I know, would laugh at barrel racers if they knew how most people ride around with their horses heads up in the air and say their horse is "collected"... |
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  Keeper of the King Snake
Posts: 7622
Location: Dubach, LA | Think about where the hores's head will be during swimming. Think about the shape of the horse's back while swimming. The horse isn't going to swim with his nose under water and breathe to the side like we do. |
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Aquatred or Swimming