Three Ways Your Horse Can Benefit from Aquatic Therapy

For decades, doctors have recommended swim therapy to treat human ailments such as back pain, joint pain and muscle and tendon rehabilitation. Swimming grants the body full range of motion without pressure on joints, bones and muscle

This same process can also be used to address equine injuries and soreness while promoting proper conditioning during rehabilitation. Let’s highlight a few of the benefits:s caused by body weight; allowing the body to recover faster and safer by engaging in a full cardio workout with little worry of injuring yourself further.

Cardiovascular and Respiratory System Benefits

While swimming, a horse’s body experiences a few sensations that differ from normal workout activities outside of the pool. As your horse moves through the water, their bodies are subjected to increased pressure and resistance caused by the water. This leads to an increased heart rate and more efficient breathing as the horse is forced to cope with the extra effort it takes to move through the water.

According to Equine Wellness Magazine, a horse’s heart rate increases from a resting rate of 25 to 40 beats per minute to 150 to 200 beats per minute and he or she will be consuming up to 24 gallons of oxygen every minute while swimming. Increased lung capacity, more efficient breathing and the ability to sustain high intensity work for longer periods of time are all benefits of aquatic therapy.

Muscle and Tendon Benefits

Traditional equine workouts on land, while greatly beneficial to the horse, have been found to only utilize 60% to 70% of the horse’s muscle length. This means that, as the horse is continually worked on land, its muscles will shorten to the length that is required, leading to spasms and general stiffness according to Equine Wellness Magazine. Aquatic workouts allow for full extension of the horse’s muscles lengthening their overall stride.  

Full extension of muscles allows for better muscle development and reduces risk of injury by preventing spasms and contractions. Swimming can also help to promote core strength and flexibility. Again, all this is happening in an environment that does not require the horse to bear weight on their limbs, further reducing the risk of injury.

Lastly, swimming provides great aid for horses suffering from soft tissue damage, joint pain and injured muscles and tendons. According to an article published in the Equine Veterinary Education journal titled “Mechanisms of aquatic therapy and its potential use in managing equine osteoarthritis,” swimming has been found to not only manage pain but also reduce inflammation.

This article states, “Immersion of the distal limb causes circumferential compression, which increases proportionately with water depth. The increased extravascular hydrostatic pressure promotes circulation.”

In other words, as the horse is submerged in water, the muscles are subjected to equal pressure similar to that created by using standing wraps. This pressure helps to improve blood flow and reduce inflammation more quickly and, when combined with a range of water temperatures, greatly reduces rehabilitation times.

Psychological Benefits

When injured, most horses are confined to a stall and issued a regimen of medication and little movement, often only being slowly hand-walked once or twice daily. This process not only causes the horse to lose muscle tone and capacity but also causes undesirable mental effects from being isolated.

Much like humans, horses need stimulation and movement to achieve optimal physical and mental health. Aquatic therapy is a perfect way to provide an injured horse with both the activity and stimulation needed.

Overall, swimming provides multiple solutions to problems concerning injured and healthy horses alike. By increasing lung capacity, core strength and muscle and mental health, aquatic therapy offers trainers and owners an effective way to ensure their horses are in peak condition.

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