Our primary service offering is racehorse pre-training. We are continually focused on how we improve and refine our pre-training program to provide our clients and their equine athlete with a winning experience.

To do this efficiently we must have good systems and procedures, which we do, however we are flexible and adaptable to ensure each horse gets the right attention required to benefit from the program. We can also follow any specific directions given to us by the horses trainer.

So to give you some insight into what we do, below is a typical example of what pre-training can involve at Aquagait:

Body Weight:

Firstly, all horses are weighed every morning as soon as they leave their box and before any exercise. We monitor changes in weight to determine how a horse is progressing and from this when necessary make changes or alterations to exercise routines or their feeding diet.

Week 1:

20-30 minute daily session in water walker

30-45 minutes walking pre & post water walker workout

30-45 minutes walking every afternoon

First time horses will start out at 20mins with no resistance pumps. Most horses progress to 30mins with resistance pumps on within 3-4 days. Experienced horses start at 30mins straight away.

Weeks 2-4:

Trot/Canter on treadmill or under saddle every 2 or 3 days (workout intensity/load gradually increases over the period)

*Rushing in water walker 1-2 times a week

30 minute session in water walker on non treadmill/riding or rushing days

30-45 minutes walking pre & post morning workout

30-45 minutes walking every afternoon

*Rushing in the water walker involves a 5-15-5 or a 5-20-5 program. 5 minutes pre and post in the water at normal speed to warm up / warm down followed by 15 or 20 minutes in between at high speed which gets the horses heart rate exceeding 150bpm and is great cardiovascular workout.

Horses with good residual fitness normally only need up to 4 weeks pre-training before going into full training.

Weeks 5-6 (if required):

Cantering / half pace work every 2nd day on treadmill or under saddle

Rushing in water walker twice a week

30 min water walker workout on all other days

30-45 minutes walking pre & post morning workout

30-45 minutes walking every afternoon

At all times we concentrate on keeping horses relaxed and displaying a good temperament. It is our aim to send all horses into full training in good mental condition and we often get great feedback from trainers and clients on the positive impact we have on a horses temperament.

After 4-5 weeks on this program most horses are ready to commence 3/4 pace work under saddle. With the right balance of water walker conditioning your horse enters full training with excellent core muscle strength and good general improvement in condition and definition across their whole body, additional to the cardiovascular progress that has been made.

We hope to see you soon!

We have previously dispelled the myth that water walkers are best used for injured or sore horses, that is simply not true. So now let’s explore in more detail how we use our water walker at Aquagait.

General Conditioning

For horses in pre-training or having a freshen up the typical daily exercise routine in the water walker is for 30 minutes at a speed of ~3kph, water depth of 950mm and all 4 resistance pumps on.

A daily exercise routine like this develops core muscle strength, muscle definition and improves cardiovascular fitness. A horses heart rate will normally sit between 70-100bpm throughout the exercise.

Rushing

This type of workout is higher intensity and is mainly used for horses that are a few weeks into their pre-training program or for horses requiring additional cardiovascular exercise with low impact on joints or bone. For this workout a horse will exercise in 3 intervals of 5-15-5 or 5-20-5. The first and last 5 minute interval is as per general conditioning above and the 15 or 20 minutes in between is at 7kph which forces horses to work a lot harder to propel themselves through the water. The resistance pumps prevent any whirlpool and maintain a current for the horses to work against.

Heart rates will reach >150bpm providing a great cardiovascular workout additional to the core muscle strengthening and development. A couple of sessions a week doing this really brings on a horses condition and muscles them up nicely.

Cool Down

After track workout under saddle or a good session on the treadmill a great cool down tool is a 15-20 minute light stroll in the water walker.

For cool down we can slow the speed down and turn the resistance pumps off to allow a nice light workout focused on cooling down body temperature and helping soothe joints and muscles.

Mental Health & Stimulation

It cannot be underestimated just how effective the environment at Aquagait is for relaxing horses and keeping them in a great mental state and our water walker plays a pivotal role in achieving this.

The change up in routine and experience combined with the feeling of being in water is an amazing way to make and keep a horse happy. Young colts, old geldings or highly strung mares, we deal with them all regularly and they all leave Aquagait in an improved mental state.

We hope the above helps provide more insight into how we use our water walker and how it might be able to help you give your horse the conditioning edge.

Thanks for reading!

Arthritis is a chronic condition found in many race horses and it is not just older horses that suffer from it. In this article we provide some insight into how alternate exercise in a water walker can help to manage such condition.

Let’s start by defining what is arthritis?

Arthritis is progressive and permanent deterioration of articular cartilage, the specific type of cartilage that lines the ends of bones where they come together to form a joint, such as your horse’s fetlock. Healthy articular cartilage provides a smooth, slippery surface that allows free movement and contributes to the shock-absorbing properties of the joint. As arthritis sets in, articular cartilage becomes compromised, which disrupts the normally smooth surface, causing stiffness and discomfort.

Exercising in water has many proven benefits most of which are also great for helping to manage horses with arthritis.

Firstly the low impact nature of the exercise means that any degradation to cartilage thats occurs in track work is avoided whilst still providing the horse with cardiovascular fitness and building muscle strength at the same time.

Increasing blood flow is another benefit. Exercise in water has been proven to stimulate blood flow which helps in the prodution of new cartilage to reduce cartilage breakdown. Supplementing additional glucosamine into the horses diet at the same time will enhance any benefits. We normally exercise horses for 20-30 minutes in the water and also see noticeable reduction in inflammation.

Finally, controlled exercise in a water walker is great for mobilising joints and freeing up movement. Not only are the benefits physical. Mentally you will see noticeable improvement in your horses attitude as the normal pain suffered for basic movements is reduced or in some cases temporarily removed.

Whilst it is not possible to get a horse race fit in a water walker, a stuctured pre-training program will allow your horse to commence 3/4 pace work with free movement, minimal joint inflammation and little to no further cartilage breakdown. Supported with the right supplements such as glucosamine or medical treatments like Chondroitin, you will enhance the likelihood of your horse getting to the races in a strong physcial and mental condition.

Arthritis rarely goes away once present in a horse. However developing a training and supplement plan to properly manage arthitic conditions can extend your horses racing life and significantly improve performance.

Aquagait rehabilitated stayer, Zatopaz will take his place in the Cellebrations Handicap over 2000m at Randwick on Saturday.

This will be his third run back from an injury enforced layoff. Trainer Matt Dale feels the horse needs another conditioning run after two moderate runs so far this time in.

A quirky horse who can easily turn it up when things don’t go his way, we have been pleased with the fact he has come through his first two runs sound even though he has been beaten by big margins. His form profile suggests he won’t be competitive until he gets out beyond 2400m.

A genuine tempo throughout will give Zatopaz the best chance to build into a nice rhythm and run out a solid 2000m and if he can finish with the main pack that will earn him a pass mark.

Beyond Saturday there are plenty of 2400m+ options in NSW and Victoria for the son of NZ Cup winner Prized Gem.

A common problem confronting horse trainers is striking the right balance between training workload and maintaining condition or weight on the horse.

It is not uncommon for a horse to lose >10kgs from a race, most of which is fluid. However, some horses don’t easily put all the weight straight back on and progressively lose weight throughout their racing preparation.

Here’s how we can help.

Enter cross training on a water walker! A great way to maintain fitness levels and restore condition.

We have selected 4 recent examples to share;

1. 4yo mare, arrived weighing 418kgs. She’s had 5 starts this time in.

2. 4yo mare, arrived weighing 413kgs. She’s had a long prep and just changed stables.

3. 3yo gelding, arrived weighing 481kgs. He’s had 3 starts this prep.

4. 7yo gelding, arrived weighing 431kgs. He’s had 6 starts in his prep. (Pictured before & after)

For cross training programs we typically implement a daily routine of; each morning 30mins walking followed by a 20-30min water walker workout, then another 30mins walking. In the afternoon, a walk of 30-60mins. This is supported with the right nutritional diet, we use Hygain Tracktorque or Micrspeed with lucerne & wheaten chaff.

The results for each horse are compelling; Both mares gained 10 & 11kgs each in their first 14 days. We noticed immediate improvement in muscle tone/definition and nice improvement to hind quarter condition.

The 7yo gelding put on 10-12kgs in the first 14 days with noticable improvement in hind quarter shape, condition and muscle mass.

The 3yo gelding put on 14kgs in 16 days, looking stronger across his whole body with excellent improvement in muscle mass and tone.

Importantly all horses maintained a solid level of fitness and will only need a short amount of track work to return to the races.

We're certainly not the biggest and we would never be arrogant enough to claim to be the best. We are proud of what we do at Aquagait and we wanted to share with you an example of what we do.

Over the last 12 days we have had the great pleasure of pre-training ex rescue horse Cobi for his owner and good friend of Aquagait, Rhianna. Rhianna has been bringing her horses to Aquagait for casual visits since we opened in 2016. This, however was the first time she has sent us a horse to stay for an extended period.

Cobi arrived at Aquagait having not done too much work over the prior 3 months due to some recurring feet issues. Rhianna had subbed him in for a couple of events when her other horse had been unwell, outside of this it was pretty much paddock rest for Cobi. He arrived weighing 535kgs. (photo below)

Our program for Cobi was simple, regular exercise supported by quality nutrition. We started him off with some light water walker work. A typical day like this consists of 30 minutes on the walking machine pre and post exercise with 20 minutes on the water walker with the resistance jets turned off. Each afternoon Cobi would walk again for 30-45 minutes.

Once settled with this routine we increased his daily water walker workout to 30 minutes with the resistance jets on. This type of work gets a horses heart rate up over 120bpm for a prolonged period. To mix things up we gave him a couple of afternoon sessions under saddle on the track and a couple of incline walking sessions on the the treadmill.

Twelve days later Cobi's progression has been great. He left us today 10kgs lighter, looking and feeling great. Upon arrival back home Rhianna reported that he moved around his paddock with a freedom of movement she had never seen before. We love to get this feedback and it makes us feel very satisfied that even a short 12 day program can have such a positive impact.

Whilst our core business is focused on racehorse pre-training and rehab, all horses are welcome at Aquagait. We give every horse in our care the same level of attention to detail with the aim of achieving the best possible outcome in the time given.

Best wishes Cobi, go well mate!

We are delighted to announce that we have expanded our facilities to include riding under saddle.

When our clients speak, we listen and following some consistent feedback from our racing clients that riding under saddle was important for their pre-trainers, we acted!

We are fortunate to be based at the Menangle Park Training Centre, operated by Harness Racing NSW and adjacent to Tabcorp Park Menangle. With the support of both organisations we have been able secure an arrangement which provides us exclusive access to the all weather, sand training track at set times throughout the day to work our horses on the track.

The track itself is approximately 700m in circumference and 12m wide. It has a lovely even surface with excellent cushion which is maintained by the professional track staff at Tabcorp Park Menangle. It is set in a quiet area surrounded by trees and plenty of natural habitat.

This addition to our facilities now completes our thoroughbred pre-training program. With our 10 horse water walker, high speed treadmill, walking machine and training track we are fully equipped to condition horses with precision.

Something that you won't find in every horse stable or at every pre-training establishment is an equine water walker. Let's face it, they are expensive to build and maintain, not too many people know how to best use them and to get a return on your investment is not straight forward. So, in this Insights article we would like to share with you more about what we do to condition horses using our water walker and the benefits that come from it.

Simply explained, training in a water walker is resistance training for horses. Horses walk in a volume of water using their own strength to propel themselves through the water. This type of exercise has proven to have multiple benefits.

Additionally, you enjoy the benefits of hydrotherapy as well. It is well documented for both humans and horses that hydrotherapy is terrific for muscle relaxation, it increases blood circulation which is vital in muscle recovery, aids in joint mobilisation (particularly arthritic conditions) and relieves stress / impact on the body.

Our water walker has unique functionality, we know of only two other walkers in Australia which have the same functionality. We have 4 high flow current pumps evenly distributed around the circumference of the walker. When switched on, these pumps create a significantly greater resistance or current for horses to walk against which stops any potential whirlpool effect.

The video below gives an indication of the strength of the current that can be directed against the horse to build both strength and endurance.