Q: Will my horse benefit from swimming?
A: There are many benefits of swimming for horses. The key benefits obviously come in terms of fitness and rehabilitation.
If the facilities are available, swimming can be incorporated into horse’s training programmes. Swimming is usually built in as an alternative to canter work or track work, as it provides a good cardiovascular workout. It is best suited, therefore, for horses that are already reasonably fit and is ideal for those that need to do fast work regularly for fitness, like galloping, but need to limit the concussive forces on their joints. Swimming, of course, also increases a horse’s strength, as to move through water the horse is constantly pushing and pulling against resistance.
However, most people do not have access to formal swimming facilities for their horses and instead have a quick swim with their horse in a dam or other big body of water. This can be good exercise for horses, and is a great way to build your relationship! If you are going to try and swimming ‘out in nature’, you just need to make sure that the water is safe and not too deep. As swimming is such a physically demanding exercise for horses, you should also limit the amount of time your horse spends in the water – especially if this exercise is new to them!