Terrie SwansonThompson: A hot walker lets
you do a few horses at a time,
right? But a treadmill is only one
at a time. In the interest of time
management, I’d go with a hot
walker.
about that method is that we
can tailor the speed and cadence
of each horse individually. Each
horse it seems is different and we
are right there to evaluate each
horse and watch them closely by
doing so.
Jennifer Terry: We use
a hot walker and the round pen.
Dian Harris: I use my
golf cart and hot walker. It has
worked well for me.
Tammi Nuttall: We
use gator, ponying 4 horses
at a time. Trot them for 20
min. That is for halter horses.
Driving horses get very fit by
pulling the carts.
Shari Washburn: Hot
walker and /or cart/mule
pen!
Danielle Peas
Campofreda Hill: I have
always been a round pen trainer!
Good footing is key. We work
our horses every other day and
how long is according to the
individual. Normal is 15 minutes. Some 10 minutes and a
few 20 - depending on their
build and body style. I hope
this helps!
**FYI- What is the difference between a hot walker and a free walker? A
hot walker (photo below) the horses are tied and basically led around the
circle at varying speeds. A free walker (photo above) has the horse enclosed
in a basket (of sorts). The horses can be worked at various gaits, moving
freely (without being tied), but within an area while it’s moving.
Judy John Frazier: Hot walker, Round pen
Emily Conder: Round-
Gary Lee Barnes: Wet
sand in the roundpen and muzzle
if necessary. Mine is indoors and
40’ across and a loungewhip is
perfect from the seated position
on a bucket. ETA that making
the horses do rollbacks works
muscles you don’t get to by just
trotting in a circle......
Belinda Young: I use
round pen, but looking into a hot
walker. I saw a few hot walkers
for sale on craigslist today, plus a
brand new Priefert Walker, still in
the box.
Kristi K. Folse: We
sell the Priefert Walkers, they are
great if you’re working multiple
horses and they can go any speed!
John Cherry: We
are old fashioned around here
and use the round pen on each
individual horse. What we like
Bianca de
Warle: Round pen, and if I ‹m
short on time, I work 4 horses at
the same time in the round pen.
Drudy Hopson: Just
a note if you use a round pen,
deep sand puts great strain on
the lower legs, so take that into
consideration when thinking of
footing.
Angelique En Marcel:
Hot Walker -Every other day,
just walking. The next day
round pen. Saves you time
every other day.
What was Jacob and Richard’s
final decision? Round pen and
free walker. They like the idea
of leaving the horses, whi le they
work on other projects. And although a bit costly, this equipment should last many years and
accommodate horses in every fitness level and age.
Au g u s t / S e p t e m b e r 2016
Miniature Horse World 57