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Mary Bromiley MBE FCSP SRP, World renowned equine physiotherapist-
Equine Injury, Therapy and Rehabilitation, 3rd edition
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''The sea walker brings the sea to the yard. Rather than walk on rubber or mats, as on the normal horse walker, the horse walk in a trough filled with a filtered, chilled, saline solution.Depth and speed can be adjusted in order to create varied recruitments of muscle. For example, fetlock deep does not radically change normal limb action, but a depth of 50cm does, the limb movement adopted at this depth increasing activation of the back and abdominal musculature. Thus, if the point of the exercise is to strengthen the back then increase water depth.''
Please click here to read more
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Trainer Magazine - Spring Edition
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Water Treatments and Exercising Options, by Mary Bromiley
"The Seawalker brings the benefits of the sea to the yard...Results, osmosis, improved circulatory flow, resistance, which like sea wading, increases muscle loading. As over ground the frog pump is activated... and the tendons are subjected to their normal stretch and recoil."
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Amanda Sutton,
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Equine Physiotherapist, Olympics team
"The Seawalker clearly provides a benefit from immersing the horses legs in chilled salt water which is particularly helpful after fast work. In addition to the therapeutic benefits the movement through the water, particularly of the hind legs, is helpful in building and strengthening horses without putting them under too much pressure."
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Nick Thompson, BSc.(Hons), BVM&S, VetMFHom, MRCVS.
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Holisticvet Ltd. Homeopathy, Acupuncture and Nutrition for Horses, Dogs and Cats.
“The Seawalker facilitates cooling of tendons after exercise. Reduced concussion walking in the cold saline is a useful addition to the tools available in the management of the equine athlete during training. The pebble and soft horsewalkers allow rapid, controlled, focused manipulation of hoof structures. The improvement in hoof growth and sole thickness is a revolution in conditioning the shoeless equine foot during and after transition.”
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| Rob Jackson BvetMed DipSurv(RP) MRCVS, Veterinary Surgeon to British Endurance Team |
Rob is our consultants vet and have worked with the Seawalker at Horses First Racing since 2005. He is available to help answer veterinary questions on request. Contact Marie-Louise Chittenden if you are interested.
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| Equine Briefing document for trainers, handlers,riders. |
Please click here.
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| We can provide contact with references above on request |
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Racing operation- Newmarket, United Kingdom
A 6 horse Seawalker launched in Newmarket in April 2010
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To see the full installation process click here
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Endurance and Racing Yards, Dubai, Middle East
Recent installation has contributed greatly to winners at Nad Al Sheeba Races, helping to improve fitness and prevent injury. |
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In 2006 we built two systems side by side for a Dubai based endurance horse yard. Both water levels and temperatures are fully variable.
Please click here to see video footage of our installations in Dubai
These images show the two variable depths of water. |
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Horse International. No 1-2010
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''Exercising horses in the sea and horse walkers are ideas which have been both around for many years now and so in some ways it is surprising that the latest development on the hydrotherapy scene has taken so long to be invented. The Seawalker, which combines the best aspects of the horsewalker, spa and water treadmill, seems obviously now but five years ago when race horse owner Eamon Willmot came up with the plan, there was nothing like it on the market. Turning to Justin Chittenden of Equine Health Centre (www.equinehealthcentre.com) , who had provided Willmot's establishment, Horses First Racing, with other services, they decided to combine what they considered to be the world's best horse walker with a saline spa to get the Seawalker. Research led them to a Dutch company called Belebro (www.belebro.com) run by Pierre Bens and his partner Wim Helmink. Belebro who had supplied over 1400 of their light weight horse friendly walkers and Wimott and Chittenden were keen to use it as part of their development. “The Belebro way is to do the best for the horse and then the horse gives its best back” explained Justin's wife Marie-Louise. “We have built several Seawalkers (there is one at a rehabilitation center in Holland and another in Dubai) but we needed Pierre's input as this was not our area of expertise originally. Things like the filtration system have been a work in progress.” The filtration device is one of the main technical elements which keeps the water clean and at the correct temperature and salinity. This means the water can be reused instead of being drained (and wasted) every day to keep it free of faeces and other dirt carried in by hooves. The impact of their invention on the environment has always been a concern to the Seawalkers creators so it was not long before they realised a roof over the machine was also required to maintain the even temperature in different weather conditions and prevent evaporation in the sun. This might have lead to the the interior becoming rather damp and humid at times but the Belebro walker is hung from a mechanism above the horses heads and this 'top spin' design maximises the space and, together with its open sides, ensures the circulation of air is excellent as the horses work.
Chest Deep
Depending on the type of track around which the horses walk , the water can be filled to various depths to increase or decrease the resistance and cooling properties. In Dubai the water is chest deep as the Seawalker is used as a training aid to condition endurance horses where keeping the horses cool while doing appropriate work is almost as important as the therapeutic effect on the legs. Mary Bromiley, one of the worlds pioneers in equine physiotherapy and rehabilitation has been much impressed with the Seawalker and has included it in the latest edition of her book, 'Equine Injury, Therapy and Rehabilitation'. “Yes Eamon is a racing man and we use it for that purpose, but obviously it has the same benefits for other disciplines as has been discovered by the users in Holland and Dubai” said Marie-Louise Chittenden. ''
Click here to read more |
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| Irish Blood Horse. November 2007 |
"Mary Bromiley, leading veterinary sports physiotherapist, says that the most beneficial form of water exercise is wading horses in seawater. This is because it is an excellent conditioner and one of the best forms of water exercise. Horse 'walkers' have been recently designed which simulate seawater; filled with saline water from about 12 inches deep, they are proving to be very efficient in building up correct muscle tone.
The horse utilises the best muscle groups for racing through the stepping action created when the horse wades through the water. This repetitive picking up of the legs exercises the abdominal muscles, which hold the main muscle groups together." |
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| Wiltshire Life. June 2005. 3 page feature. |
| “Eamonn has also created a 'Seawalker’. His own idea. After two years of research involving visits to Australia, Germany, Holland and Ireland to consult experts in hydrotherapy, horsewalkers and equine medicine, he designed the large circular trough which enables horses to enjoy the therapeutic benefits of working in cold salt water on site. Horses can move at varying speeds from a slow walk to a brisk trot through saline water cooled to the right temperature, without stress. It has already proved its value in healing and preventing injury. Although relatively simple, it is unique.” |
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The Horses Hoof, Issue 18, Winter 2005.
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| “Scientific studies already show that immersing horses legs in salt water at low temperatures is effective in both healing and preventing injury and it produces exceptionally fast and good quality hoof growth. We are also seeing a reduction in mudfever and other minor infections. The horses using the Seawalker before coming into training are remarkably fit before they start ridden work." |
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| Thoroughbred Owner & Breeder, August 2005. |
| “The seawalker is used extensively and the horses plainly love it. A beneficial variation on the conventional horsewalker, it is filled with cold, salty water which according to Willmott, has “magical healing capabilities “. Horses will spend 30 minutes going round the hydro-circuit, more when a run is imminent.” |
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