A Preliminary Investigation into Ridden Water Submersion Training as an Adjunct to Current Condition Training Protocols in Performance Horses.
Authors: O' Brien Claire, Pegg Josephine
Journal: Animals : an open access journal from MDPI
Summary
# Editorial Summary: Ridden Water Submersion Training for Performance Horses O'Brien and Pegg investigated whether training horses in water could deliver cardiovascular conditioning benefits whilst simultaneously protecting the distal limbs from the thermal stress associated with conventional gallop work. Their observational study tracked 15 international event horses during water submersion sessions, measuring heart rate responses and infrared thermography of the lower limbs at defined intervals. The training sessions achieved mean maximum heart rates of 65.18 ± 3.76% of predicted maximum—a moderate submaximal intensity suitable for aerobic development—yet crucially, distal limb temperatures decreased significantly between warm-up and water work (p < 0.01), directly opposing the temperature elevation seen during land-based gallop training. This inverse relationship is particularly significant because elevated distal limb temperatures are epidemiologically linked to tendon injury risk in performance horses. Whilst these preliminary findings suggest water submersion training offers a promising tool for conditioning elite eventers without the thermogenic burden on tendons and ligaments, the authors appropriately note that conclusions cannot yet be extrapolated beyond this small, elite population; practitioners and researchers should await further investigation across diverse disciplines and competitive levels before integrating this modality as a standard conditioning protocol.
Read the full abstract on PubMed
Practical Takeaways
- •Water-based ridden training may offer a safer conditioning alternative that builds aerobic fitness while reducing thermal stress to distal limbs and tendons
- •Results are preliminary and limited to elite international event horses; effectiveness in non-elite horses and other disciplines remains unknown
- •Consider RWST as a complementary training modality for horses with history of tendon concerns or those requiring intense conditioning with lower thermal burden
Key Findings
- •Ridden water submersion training (RWST) produced mean HRmax of 65.18 ± 3.76%, classified as moderate submaximal intensity exercise suitable for aerobic stamina development
- •Mean heart rate increased significantly (p < 0.01) during RWST compared to warm-up phase
- •Mean distal limb temperature decreased significantly (p < 0.01) during RWST, contrasting with temperature increases during land-based gallop training
- •RWST appears to restrict distal limb temperature increases commonly associated with tendon rupture risk during conventional training