The latest project which is currently under construction at the stables is the installation of our very own water walker. A large financial outlay which when completed will be a great assett in the training of all the horses in our care.
The water walker which is basically your normal everyday walker that is used on dry land except the horses are walking chest deep with the water providing a resistance and a cushioning effect has become a very popular method used by many trainers for various reasons.
Horses that have been enduring racing often appreciate the change in routine and the stress taken off their legs making it beneficial in keeping a horse fresh. It is an effective way to get horses that experience leg problems fit or to retain their fitness between races without any added pressure on them. If a horse jars up after a race or a gallop they will recover more rapidly by working in the water which being cold also assists in reducing any inflamation.
Being on a large property, we are very lucky to have the room for a beautiful big training track that has both sand and grass tracks that are all irrigated, our own barriers,a swimming pool, treadmill that can have a horse gallop on if need be, paddocks for the horses after their daily exercise and now both a dry walker and a water walker.
Able to accomodate 5 horses at a time, with enough room for them to comfortably turn around, they will walk in one direction before being sent back the other way to walk against the current they whipped up from the first way. The bottom will also have around 30cm of a special course river sand that will be brought in from Esk to assist with filtration and extra cushioning. All going well we expect it to be completed in around 2 weeks. We look forward to seeing the benefits hopefully reflected in performances come raceday.
13.09.13