Swimming is a great way to rehabilitate horses with joint injuries as it provides no impact. It should only be done by professionals and in specially built pools. Like the physical therapy that human athletes go through when they are injured this is a valuable tool and can be used in conjunction with aquatic and regular treadmills to slowly build up their joints, tendons, muscles and ligaments until they are ready to return to competition.
I have worked many times with vets and trainers that do this, for all of you who think the horse will drown, I asked. They said he cannot drown because horses have super strong muscles and don't get many spasms and there is only a foot of water below them at the deepest part of the pool. So even if he does get under the water, which is not likely, he has easily get back up
My pony had to do this years ago for treatment for his leg, as soon as he came out he dragged the handlers back to go in again. But to this day he wont go near a stupid puddle-_-
this horse has to swim . properly because he needs to train its muscles . horse who are healing from certain muscle injury are being taken for a swim more often these days because it works better and safer for the muscles then putting it in a tred male or on the longe line.
its a type of therapy and conditioning...they use it a lot should a horse break a leg or tear muscles to strengthen the muscles without the impact of a normal exercises
As much as I think this is cool, it makes me sick to my stomach. Horses doing this can result in a lot of future spine and back problems. Don't get me wrong- I love to watch horses swim. It's just unfortunate to think the problems this causes in the long end. :/
@jett888 Also, It only makes me sick to think about the people who do this wrongly. Once again, not saying that the horse was used badly. It's just all about how people do it.
@hunterjumper798 well its kind of therapy, my horse broke all 4 of legs being an idiot and kicking and striking his stall walls and this is what we did when he got out of cast:)
The nazis did this in world war one to see how they could torture enemy soldiers. How does your science explain this horses pain? God forgive these awful people
Wow the horse doesn't even hesitate. This is actually a very good way to exercise the horse so that there's no stress on their joints, it's good if they also are recovering from an injury.
Our horse Dorine was only 5yrs old in this video. The swimming is for exercise not cleaning. It takes the pressure of impact off the horse's limbs and builds up muscle and stamina. Very fit race horses will usually do 16 lengths. Dorine is a show jumper and would ofter do 18 lengths (half a mile). Dorine also had fun, she would run into the water and actually try to jump into the deep part like a child, dragging us along with her at the end of our lead ropes.
Now please tell me. Why exactly is this horse swimming? I see nothing wrong with it. It just seams a bit random to put him in a stream like that to swim... I mean was it recovery therapy or something?
I find it so strange that som people think this is mean to the horse. How can you not see that the horse gos into th water completely voluntary. If the horse didn't likk th water, or didn't want to swim, it wouldn't.
Not only that, swimming is great physical therapy, exercise. It's a low impact on the joints, like if he's a race horse that broke a leg .. swim therapy is great for getting him back on his legs again
Wild Chincoteague ponies make a large group swim across islands every year. There are no people driving them to do this. This is entirely by instinct. So maybe you should stop commenting before you sound more pretentious than you already do.
@TheRollingPandaBears Really Rolling Panda?? HOw could this be more stressful to a horses back than somebody on top of the back- bearing weight, perhaps unbalanced?? I know, when i swim all weight bearing is off the back- please explain!
Actually, horse love the water and are very talented at swimming. (In other words, they are fairly strong swimmers). And don't you mean fins for swimming, not wings? Wings are for flying stupid...
@Str33tification Yup, horses much like any other animals all have their own personality , some horses seek out swimming and enjoy it , others wont go near anything deeper than a trough
@jett888 Holds the horses neck up like a bearing rein. Not very good. Once again, I'm simply stating my opinion. I'm glad you're explaining you're opinion too, in a way. But nonetheless if the horse swims too much it'll become a strain on the muscles and ligaments. And I'm not actually saying that this was the case with this particular horse. >.< Sorry if it seemed like that way, or anything of the sort.
@jett888 Call me Nessa. And I didn't say this could be /more/ stressful or anything of the sort. Simply, it isn't good to do over a period of time. We have a horse in a nearby barn who's owner kept stressing the importance of this, and made his horse Coda do this for months and months. Something went wrong with the horses back. I don't know exactly what, so don't ask. I don't have all the details. It's the way the horses head would have been help up from a lead rope- It strains and
the horse is not flying! lol that was dumb wow. what about humans that swim? God didn't give us flaps and fins either. do we abuse are self when we swim in a pool? everything today is abuse this abuse that. child abuse, you cant even spank a child who deserves it so people cant control there kids in stores anymore. I think people are getting to sensitive over everything.
First of all, what kind of animal uses wings to swim? Who is the real idiot here? Secondly, horses are perfectly capable of swimming, and many do so for the simple fact that they enjoy it. Hydro-therapy, as shown in the video, is an essential form of rehabilitation for horses, especially those that have undergone surgery.
not likely to happen because they are not all that deep. If it were to happen everyone in that area would be trying to get the horse out. Believe me horses can cost a ton. This horse probably has lameness issues or he's muscles aren't the best or he is in rehabilitation
...Funny how people get all "That's abuse" with this. Watch carefully. The horse puts up no struggle and as he's swimming, his ears are peaked forward. He's interested. There's no pressure on the lines to make him do anything. Relax. Horses actually like swimming. Some just dont.
As much as I think this is cool, it makes me sick to my stomach. Horses doing this can result in a lot of future spine and back problems. Don't get me wrong- I love to watch horses swim. It's just unfortunate to think the problems this causes in the long end. :/
Most horses know how to swim, it's in their instincts. I've been on horseback swimming across a lake, sure, the horse prefers to go around because swimming is more difficult. It is very rare for a horse to not know how to swim.
@jessi259 Its therapy. Usually after an injury. water therapy is good to rebuild muscles yet gentle enough to re-injure it by having the horse run on a healing leg. Its to keep the horse fit during recovery.
The horse needed to be exercised but the owner was unable to ride at the time. This was the most effective form of exercise with this young horse swimming 1/2 mile (18 lengths) in most sessions.
If the horse is injured or is not able to walk for a long period of time or they want the horse to exercise they make the horse swim. and horses, believe it or not, are actually really good swimmers
I don't like the look of this 'pool' if something happened to the horses and it started to drown, how would they get him out? Dragging? It really needs a quick exit, just in case.
Thank you FINALLY someone who begins to understand that God wanted the Earths creatures to be in their NATURAL environment. Can't believe the ignorance of some of these people
!!!!!THE PEOPLE DIDNT MAKE THE HORSE DO THAT FOR FUN!!!IT IS A WAYY OF CARING FOR THE HORSE!! what they are doing with the horse si washing it he horse is NOT swimming in it for fun
@CatsGotGame fat actually floats lol Have you ever noticed that heavier people tend to float a lot more easily on their backs in a swimming pool than others?
Thats nice. Horses love to swim. But there aren't so many possibilitys for them to go swimming... Do you hold the head with you ropes (Longe?) over water?
