Seawalker Horse Water Walker

The Seawalker equine water walker enables the trainer to target different muscle groups in the horse, by varying the depth of the water, whilst the low temperature and salinity act as powerful restorative properties. Training at lower depths encourages the horse to exaggerate its natural stride in an effort to minimise the resistance of the water. This type of cross-training work, helps to strengthen abdominal musculature which is paramount to the core strength of the horse.

In deeper water, the horse has to work harder and adopts more of a wading action, employing the rear quarter and back muscles; providing a more general aerobic exercise platform. Trainers with a Seawalker have reported excellent results in preventing horses from ‘tying up’ and a significant reduction in general post-work stiffness with warm-up and cool-down Seawalker sessions before and after harder training.

A key Equine Health Centre (EHC) client who has Seawalker systems installed at their racing premises in the Middle East and in the UK has found the benefits of Seawalker are more dynamic, far reaching and less labour intensive than more traditional swimming. They have also noted significant improvements in the performance and general fitness of their horses through regular use of the Seawalker as part of their training programme.

The Seawalker offers unique advantages to equine breeders. Mares benefit from developing stronger abdominal musculature to better enable them to hold a foal successfully through gestation. Particularly noted at lower water depths, horses exercising in the Seawalker continually tense their abdominal muscles as a primal response to the splashing of cold water to the underside of the belly. Young horses benefit from becoming extremely well conditioned and fit with regular Seawalker cross-training, in a safe and controlled environment with no rider on their back.

In contrast to more traditional equine swimming pools, horses exercising in the highly innovative Seawalker maintain contact with the ground at all times and, as a result, are able to maintain a regular respiratory pattern.

Many horses hold their breath when they swim, others adopt short bursts of breath, few maintain a regular breathing pattern. There have been reports of increased lung bleeding through the physical exertion of swimming and whilst some horses are reasonably adept at swimming, many are not and simply do not take well to the water in this way. It is notable that horses enjoy training in the Seawalker.

Unlike spa therapy units, where the horse stands still, and water treadmills, where its gait is assisted, Seawalker offers unhindered natural movement for up to eight horses at a time.

The Seawalker is installed in several yards in Dubai and Newmarket as well as having an established presence in Europe and Australia.