USA Texas     FF Equine Therapy   Weatherford 
 Every time I receive an incoming client, we have lots of questions about our Aqua-Icelander Treadmill.  Our treadmill is an aqua tread and cold saltwater spa all in one! In a later post I will discuss the benefits of cold saltwater therapy. However, today I just want to talk about the versatility in treatment and conditioning programs of an aqua tread in your rehab regimen! Aqua tread units like ours offer a wide range of benefits, 
including the ability to adjust the water depth to suit different horse sizes. They also target different muscle groups. Why are different water levels beneficial? In exercise, the deeper the water, the more weightless the horse feels. In a rehab setting, we would use water that comes up to the horse's shoulder to reduce its weight by about 60%.  Compared to working on hard ground, this allows them to mobilize joints and resume fitness faster after an injury. This water level will increase lung capacity and allow the horse to stride out easily while having a low-impact workout.
Water reaching the forearm conditions the upper leg muscles and increases their stride.  Their buoyancy and ability to pull through the water will remain intact at this depth. The water levels around the knee joint are like using a Stairmaster for cardio. 
As the horse automatically picks up and steps over the water, you get an extensive range of motion from the hip and SI joints. As well as building core strength, it also improves the appearance of the topline.  In addition to horses recovering from kissing spines or EPMs, all competition horses can benefit from these workouts. 
Using controlled conditions, we can condition the horse's lower leg muscles and soft tissues to prevent injuries.  A unique feature of our treadmill is that we can add an incline for effective uphill training.  You can adjust the training belt's incline anywhere from 0% to 10%. Up to 27% more work is put on forward-moving muscles 
with this function. Additionally, this type of training strengthens the back and neck muscles.  In addition to creating more resistance, this helps strengthen the topline.
In aqua treads, resistance is created through speed and movement. 
In a conditioning setting, horses undergo a low-impact form of exercise that develops their airways  while getting in a cardio workout. Whether your horses need to be worked hard or gently,  they can do so with our Aqua tread! Horses just needing fitness can be pushed harder to focus on cardio and muscle mass.  For injuries and post-surgery horses, we will have the horse work slowly so we can rebuild weak muscles/ligaments,  so we are able to get you and your horse back riding as soon as possible and competing again! 

Faith Furrow