When you have an injured horse, especially a large horse, often his own weight can slow down rehabilitation process. When you exercise the horse in an Aqua-Tred, the water takes 40 to 60 percent of the horse’s body weight off his legs. The buoyancy of the water supports the body when walking, yet allows enough concussion to build bone density and develop tensile strength in tendons, ligaments and muscles. When a horse is getting most of its conditioning while swimming alone, it loses bone density over time because there is no concussion. In the Aqua-Tred the horse gets resistance when pushing backward as well as when he pulls each leg forward. The horse ends up using all kinds of muscles that normally are not strengthened.
The Aqua-Tred is 46 ½ feet long with a gentle sloping walking surface covered with rubber mats at both ends. The actual tread is 12 feet long. At the deepest point the pool is 4 feet deep. The water is kept at 85 degrees, but can be raised to 100 degrees if requested by your veterinarian. The Aqua-Tred also has 16 jets (four each leg) massaging and relaxing the muscles. This will increase the circulation, speeding up the recovery process.
Even though there are many benefits to the Aqua-Tred for rehabilitation purposes, it is also ideal for preventive maintenance. Today’s horse is generally used for one discipline. This can mean working the same area of a joint over and over, causing a lot of joint problems. The horse will use a full range of motion that will strengthen the muscle groups that might be otherwise hard to work while increasing bone density. Many of the horse owners and trainers have noticed the extra muscle in their horse’s back when they return home after completing their therapy.