Horse Exerciser Helps in Horse Management

Horse Management: Horse Exerciser Arguably Your Barn’s Most Valued Assets

Anyone accustomed to using a horse exerciser will tell you how lost they would be if they suddenly had to do without one.

Horse exercisers are a huge asset to horse owners, trainers and breeders alike, with some barns running theirs all day. A company such as EuroXciser offers many different types to help you choose the best one for your particular situation.

Once installed, your new machine will quickly become indispensable, as you discover more and more ways to incorporate it into your daily horse management.

Limited Turnout

At facilities with restricted pasture land, especially in less rural areas, a horse walker affords animals the opportunity to get out of their stalls and stretch their legs every day.

This gentle exercise prevents them from having to stand for hours in their stalls. It provides controlled, sustained movement, increases their circulation, reduces boredom (with its associated vices) and helps maintain fitness.

Bad Weather Conditions

Many barns don’t turn the horses out when it’s raining because they churn up the grass.

An exerciser, especially a covered one, is a great solution for horses that are stall-bound during poor weather. Working in a safe environment, they can get rid of excess energy that’s usually released in the field, making them better behaved under saddle.

Another benefit of the walker is that it gives the horse owner an alternative to fitness work on slippery roads during periods of rain, sleet or snow.

When Time Is Short

Sometimes an owner simply doesn’t have time to groom and tack up the horse, warm him up, ride for an hour and cool him off, then unsaddle the animal and brush him down.

It takes much less time to put him in the exerciser where he can get a good workout without his owner feeling guilty about not spending longer with him.

Working Multiple Horses

For those with more than one horse, a great advantage of the walker is its capability to exercise several animals at once.

Machines are built to accommodate between 4 and 6 horses, and exercising them together reduces the time required by barn staff to work them.

Fitness Training & Maintenance

Walk work is an important part of the initial training of horses for disciplines such as endurance or eventing. The horse exerciser is extremely useful during this phase.

Later in the program it won’t replace undulating countryside or rough terrain, but instead becomes an invaluable aid in warming up the horse before his more strenuous work and cooling him off afterwards.

Adding trot laps helps maintain fitness and keep muscles toned.

Rehabilitation

Horses coming off stall rest after an injury can be safely reintroduced to work in the controlled environment of the exerciser, rather than dragging their handler while being led on foot, or bolting and bucking under saddle.

It is a gentle way to bring them back into an exercise routine without the burden of a rider.

Once you’ve chosen the right style of horse exerciser for your barn and placed in an easily accessible location, you’ll soon wonder how you ever survived without it.