The Importance of Pools for Horses
You likely didn’t notice a horse in your neighborhood pool this year no matter how high the mercury climbed. Many don’t think of horses as being a good candidate for a dip in a refreshing swimming pool.
However, for equine athletes swimming programs are becoming a respected and effective means of rehabilitation and conditioning.
Swimming is a non-concussive form of therapy that is especially good for rehabilitation of horses that have limb disease such as arthritis, acute or chronic laminitis, splints, curbs and bruises. Hydrotherapy is also finding a valuable place in the post-operative rehabilitation phase.
Within days of immobilization muscles can being to atrophy after surgery or serious injury. To prevent the muscles from wasting away, swimming therapy keeps the muscles moving. There is also a psychological benefit to swimming especially since horses need a long stall rest. All pent-up energy can be released in a low-impact activity that is in a safe and controlled environment. Pain, inflammation and reliance on pain medicines can be reduced with hydrotherapy which can help speed natural healing.
Swimming provides horses with a good workout just as it done with humans since it requires additional cardiovascular exertion from the hydrodynamic pressure that is placed on the rib cage and lungs. A strengthening of the heart and lungs occurs when the lungs need to work harder to deliver enough oxygen to the muscles and this doesn’t have the concussive pounding on limbs and joints that occur with land based forms of training and rehabilitation. For horses, swimming is actually the only exercise when they take a deep breath, close their nostrils and forcibly exhale.
However, there are some cautions in order despite the numerous advantages of good swimming programs. The intensity of the exercise can exacerbate back problems. After observing the horses swim patterns a previously undetected problem may become evident. An indicator of a back problem may be a horse with an altered paddling action with their hindquarters dropped instead of a good horizontal movement.
A considerable concern is exhaustion since it could lead to drowning. For this reason swimming therapies should only be offered by professional and experienced horse swimmers. Another good idea is to make sure the water is crystal clear so the horses swimming movements can be monitored to make sure the horse is getting a balanced workout. If a horse is swimming by climbing with their front legs only, by rolling from side to side or by paddling with only one hind leg then unbalanced muscle development could result.
If horses are gradually acclimated to the water their natural swimming abilities will come out and they will become more confident in their abilities. Prepare the horse for swimming by rinsing them with water that is of a similar temperature to the pool to accomplish this. Use a lunge line attached to either one or both sides of the halter to lead the horse to the pool. A horse will either back in or walk down a non-slip padded ramp to get to water level when entering the pool. The horse is encouraged to being swimming by having the ramp drop off abruptly.
To improve heat transfer from the horse during exercise therapy pools are often kept at a cooler temperature than the surrounding air. Water allows the rapid removal of heat from an immersed body as a result of the comparative density of water to air. A therapy pool that is outside should be kept moderately lukewarm to prevent hypothermia in horses during the winter months.
Water quality and safety features are more important in a hydrotherapy program than the shape of the pool, although the shape will determine the form swimming will take. For example a horse will swim around the radius of a pool that is round.
A counter-current may be produced in these pools to give horses a greater resistance to movement. In a round pool the experienced horse can swim about two laps per minute although the amount of swimming in any program isn’t dictated by time or distance.
As the name implies, straight pools are similar to long lap pools. In these pools the horse swims in a straight line after walking into the pool. Depending on the horses condition the total time spent swimming will vary including the factor of medical history and program goals. One or two laps in a pool may be all that is accomplished with an inexperienced horse while other more experienced horses may go as may as ten.
Inquire about pool filtration and handling practices before and after swimming when it comes to finding a professional swimming facility for your horse. Request a list of references after asking about who is swimming the horse. If possible it is always a good idea to take a look at the pool and observe another horse swimming.
Pay attention to how the horse acts, are they exhausted or are they ready to go again. After having completed a swim a horse in a conditioning program will often look slightly winded although they may also have more spring in their step. Horse shouldn’t have their heads hanging and an exhausted appearance after swimming. Before starting a swimming regimen it is also important that you consult with your veterinarian.
Pond Bonding
You may be tempted to try your own swimming program if you live near an ocean, lake or pond. You should always swim parallel to shore just beyond the area where you horse can touch the bottom. This way should the horse become tired they can quickly reach the ground.
Look for a solid, non-slippery area to enter and exit the water when crossing bodies of water that require the horse to swim. Stay in the center of balance on the horse since slipping backwards can hamper the horses hindquarter thrust which affect their swimming action. To allow for proper breathing and balance in the water the horses head should always be free.
Avoid natural water sources during flood seasons and always be extremely cautious when crossing water alone. To prevent exhaustion you should always remember to keep swimming sessions short. For both you and your horse it should be a positive experience and not an exhausting one.
Swimming the Horse For Training
Dr._Ann_Nyland is an ancient language scholar, translator and lexicographer. She is also a long term Endurance rider and Arabian horse breeder of the old desert lines. In 1990, Dr Nyland translated the 4,000 year old Kikkuli Text for getting war horses fit and in 1991 replicated it, drawing international media attention. Swimming is unsuitable for training Thoroughbred racehorses but is suitable for endurance horses. The reason swimming is an excellent exercise for endurance rather than racehorses is that swimming addresses the slow twitch muscle fibres. A horse cannot be trained for both endurance and outright speed because each type of training has an opposite effect on muscle fibres.
Horses have two distinctly different types of muscle fibre types: slow twitch and fast twitch (depending on their contraction times). The slow twitch fibres are designed for endurance and use oxygen. The fast twitch fibres produce speed, and their energy is obtained through anaerobic pathways. They have very limited endurance capacity.
Long slow work conditions the slow twitch fibres (Type 1) which use aerobic pathways. Arabian horses have a far higher proportion of slow twitch fibres than other breeds of horses. Thoroughbred racehorses have a high proportion of fast twitch fibres. Slow twitch fibres operate on oxygen only and are endurance muscles, able to operate for very long periods without fatigue. Type II fast twitch fibres can be trained either for stamina or for speed. A training program which trains the fibres for the wrong energy pathways clearly will reduce performance significantly.
As swimming for training addresses only the slow twitch muscle fibres, it should not be used for racehorses unless swimming races are introduced one day! Research has also shown that swimming must be avoided in the case of a racehorse which is a 'bleeder'. When a horse is swimming, it is harder for them to breathe as most of their chest is submerged. It's not wise to make the lungs of a 'bleeder' work harder in this way.
However, swimming is excellent training for endurance horses for the cardiovascular system and does not place stress on legs, muscles and tendons. Scientific studies have shown that swimming is a strenuous exercise. Three minutes of swimming is said to be equivalent to 1 mile (1,600 metres) of steady harness or ridden work. Swimming is an excellent conditioning procedure because it provides a hard workout while avoiding injury to a horse's legs, and for this reason, several leading endurance trainers have included swimming as a supplement to their training routines.
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