Horsewalkers are a standard piece of kit at many professional and livery yards. Most horse owners are likely to have seen one in operation, or indeed had use of one themselves. But how many of us can say we’ve had training in how to use a horsewalker safely?

Walkers are generally installed to help meet the specific exercise needs of a yard’s population, whether that’s to help combat weight loss, increase exercise levels, or aid in warming up and cooling down for ridden work. One 2019 study found that 20 minutes on a walker was equivalent exercise to an hour’s turnout. This came with the caveat that while a walker could not replace the psychological and health benefits of turnout, a walker might assist in releasing energy and providing exercise in periods when turnout has to be restricted.

The composition, size and operation of horsewalkers varies across the industry and their build can be adapted to meet a variety of different uses. A private livery yard is likely to install a smaller walker than a large racing yard, whereas a rehabilitation yard might opt for an oval-shaped walker to avoid vulnerable horses walking on a constant small circle.

Once the idiosyncrasies of structure, use and the individual horse have been taken into account, what other factors need to be considered when implementing best, and safest, horsewalker practice? H&H spoke to experts in horsewalker manufacture and use for their advice on getting the most out of a walker while minimising the risk of accidents.

1. Wear the right gear

On the topic of handler safety, gloves were a unifying factor among our experts. The British Horse Society also advised a hard hat and appropriate footwear.

Lizzie Ragg, yard manager at the Berkshire College of Agriculture, told us staff and students are required to make a habit of assessing their own personal protective equipment (PPE) before every activity.

“Any time you’re leading, you should be in gloves,” she comments. “We have a rule here that means as soon as you’re leading outside the confines of the yard, where our walker is, you also need to be wearing a riding hat. Our horses leave the yard for two reasons – to be exercised or turned out. You don’t want a horse anticipating he’s going out and becoming strong or silly while you’re not protected.”

For dressage rider and rehabilitation yard owner Laura Whyte, a horse’s kit should be kept to a minimum.

“A pet hate of mine is seeing side reins and rollers on walkers,” she tells H&H. “Walkers are not an alternative to training.”

In Lizzie’s case, nylon headcollars are always removed on the walker and additional equipment is used on a case-by-case basis.

“We have some horses with bar shoes on, so I’d always put overreach boots on them on the walker. I think walker rugs are a good idea if you’re using the walker in cold weather and when warming up and cooling down. I know people do put horses on walkers in full tack, but it poses a higher risk. I wouldn’t allow my staff or students to put a horse on a walker in tack.”

2. Pay attention to the surface

“It’s important to ensure horses have grip, and aren’t hitting concrete or stone,” says Laura. “I don’t use a rubber tiling as it can be slippy. You get the same with concrete, plus it’s too hard. We use Equigrids for grip topped with a waxed surface.”

Sweeping out the walker removes droppings and standing water.

“I used to manage the yard at West Anglia College, where everything went on the walker each day,” Lizzie tells us. “That walker was swept out thoroughly every day.”

The BHS advises looking closely for any hazards.

“It is essential to keep the entrance area of the walker clear and obstruction-free. The surface of the walker should also be thoroughly checked before and after use. This applies to rubber matting as well as bricks, which could potentially overlap and cause a tripping hazard.”

The BHS went on to recommend consideration of weather conditions, and advised owners are mindful of using uncovered walkers on wet or icy days.

Lots of walkers employ an anti-lock braking system (ABS), which means the pushers aren’t blown around the walker when it’s not in use. According to a video on its website, Monarch Equestrian suggest levering the ABS off for cleaning the walker for ease of moving around the track.

3. Warm up your walker

Lizzie Ragg comments that users should consider that some walkers need to be warmed up – run for a few minutes – before loading horses on.

Guto Davis, saftey specialist at horse walker manufacturer Molenkoning, explains why: “Some walkers run on oil and when the oil is in use, it warms up and gets thinner. This causes the walker to move faster, which can speed up the horses. With Molenkoning, we use an electric motor that requires no warming up or servicing.”

4. Timing is everything

Laura says it’s important to be considerate of other horses if you’re adding yours to the walker.

“When you stop a walker, it’s disruptive. Horses sometimes turn around in their partitions if they get agitated,” she warns. “The best thing is to time it well, so the empty partition lines up with the gate and you can load the horse straight on. Then, the walker is stationary for as short a time as possible. If you’re unsure about it, let someone more experienced help you.”

She adds that you can use the placement of the partitions to show your horse where you want him to go.

“If you make sure the pusher at the back of the partition is close to the door, your horse has a big open space to walk into. He’ll be encouraged to start moving in the direction the walker is set to.”

Laura prefers to put first-timers on the walker alone so other horses aren’t at risk.

“I start off slow and keep my fingers on the control panel while he walks. If he stops, I stop the machine and it gradually revs down to nothing. You’re trying to make sure they don’t get a wallop from the pusher. It’s fine if it hits their bum gently, but no big crash up behind.”

Meanwhile, the BHS told us: “To make sure your horse is confident and comfortable when introducing them to a walker, it is best practice to use the ‘follow the leader’ principle. By having a more experienced horse in the lead position, you can reduce the risk of your horse turning in the opposite direction.

“The use of an assistant to operate the gate and speed/directional controls is recommended too.”

While loading horses, Molekoning advises the walker “should be stationary and electric gates off when entering”.

Horsewalker manufacturer Monarch Equestrian’s website advises the handler should always stay between the walker’s outer fence and the horse.

5. Work on both reins

Our experts universally advised equal work on both reins as a key part of how to use a horsewalker safely. In addition, Molenkoning stipulated 20 minutes as a maximum session time.

Guto tells us: “Our walker timer is set to ten minutes in each direction as it is imperative that horses are exercised equally on both reins. We install, and advise DIY users to allow, a 2.5m width track to enable all sized horses the space in which to turn around easily when the horsewalker changes direction.”

Instead of using both reins in a session, Laura opts for alternating the walker direction day-by-day.

“I personally don’t think turning on the walker is a comfortable manoeuvre. We’d always turn them manually by taking them off and reloading them.”

6. Match your horse to his companions

To ensure comfort on the walker, Laura considers who goes on with whom.

“Older horses don’t go on with fit competition horses, and certainly for less time,” she says. “People with nervous horses who jog tend to put a quieter one in front. This doesn’t really work – if there’s a horse in front they’ll want to catch up. Instead, we put a slower horse behind a nervous one to get them thinking about the horse behind and matching them.”

If a horse seems too unsettled and jogs continually, Laura brings him off.

“People often interpret jogging as a horse blowing off steam, but in my experience it’s usually just anxiety.”

7. Consider additional safety measures

Many companies offer bespoke features, such as wider walkways. Molenkoning walkers come with electrified gates and pushers as standard, but these can be turned on or off while the walker is in use. Monarch stipulates on its website that electric gates should be turned off when horse are loaded on and off.

The panels on Laura’s walker are mobile.

“If they really panic, our pushers swivel upwards up to 90 degrees, like a cat flap. Even though they’re heavy metal panels, you know there’s a safe get-out if needed.”

8. Get your walker serviced

Monarch advises walkers are serviced every 12 months, depending on usage. In a video on its website, the company explains: “For highly used walkers, such as racing yards… we recommend every 12 months. For quieter yards, possible every 18 months.”

For Monarch walkers, services should be conducted around your own basic checks, made periodically – namely hydraulic oil checks at the control box and heavy duty gearbox oil supplied to the bearing plates and ball bearings, part of the mechanism in the centre. If you haven’t topped it up in a while, you can “start to hear a grinding noise, as the ball bearings will have basically dried out.”

9. Placement is key

The general consensus states that horses should not be left on a walker unattended. A spokesman from the BHS told us: “One of the most important things to remember when using a horse walker is to ensure you can always see the walker and horse. The equipment must be easily accessible too, such as the emergency cut-off controls, in case of an accident.”

“From the yard to the walker is only about 12 strides, so I’m never out of range”, says Laura.

The BCA’s walker is outside the confines of the yard, so Lizzie has to consider staff and students getting the horses to the walker safely. “We teach the students about risk-assessing, reading the situation,” she explains.

“As well as correct PPE we ask them to consider the correct method of restraint on the horse, thinking about who they are and their behaviour on the day. For example, stronger horses are lead in a slip bridle to the walker.”

The BHS also stressed the importance of risk-assessment, adding: “This includes making sure everyone involved in the use of a walker has had an induction in safe use and procedures. We would recommend this for all staff at a centre and also for situations where livery clients may place their horses on and off the walker.”

10. Is it in your horse’s best interests?

Lizzie encourages staff and students to look at the whole horse before deciding if the walker would be a productive part of his routine.

“The main thing we focus on is benefit to the horse. We wouldn’t use the walker indiscriminately. If you’ve got a native type that could do with shifting some weight, the walker could be a useful addition. A horse whose legs have filled overnight would be helped by a session on the walker. However, if you’ve got one with arthritis, being stuck on a circle isn’t going to be beneficial.”

Analyse the situation

According to our experts, how to use a horsewalker safely comes down to assessing your horse, yard and the walker you have access to. As well as this, regular checks and professional services keep a walker running as it should, and ensure you are wearing a hat and gloves whenever you load the walker. Ultimately, consider compatibility of a range of factors in relation to your horse – walker size, speed and surface, your horse’s routine, temperament and condition, his companions and how he feels on the day.

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A make of horse-walker has been removed from the market as it presents “risk of serious or fatal injury”.

The Claydon Horse Exercisers Derby and Stoneleigh models have been withdrawn and users contacted by the manufacturer to inform them of the risks.

The Government Office for Product Safety and Standards published the product safety report, explaining that: “The product presents a serious risk of injuries.”

The Derby and Stoneleigh models, supplied from the early 1980s, have machinery comprising four powered rotating “pushers” turning in a circle between inner and outer fences, with an access gate to load and unload the horses.

The Government report states: “The gate in the outer fence can be opened while the machine is in motion and the size of the mesh openings in the outer fence allow persons to reach the pushers. Users can be exposed to crushing, shearing and impact hazards from the moving pushers and their proximity to fixed structures such as the gate frame and outer fences.

“A risk of serious or fatal injury can arise if a user tries to enter or exit through the gate or remains inside the horse exerciser while the pushers are moving, or if they reach through gaps in the outer fence.”

The report added that there was “also insufficient information and instruction available to users who may foreseeably enter the machine during cleaning and maintenance. There was no lockable electrical isolation switch provided”.

The machines did not satisfy the requirements of the Supply of Machinery (Safety) regulations 2008.

Users have also been contacted to notify them of availability of replacement parts and to provide updated user instructions.

A Claydon spokesman directed H&H to the “corrective measures” taken.

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As autumn dawns and the days get shorter and darker, we’re lusting after a property with a horse walker. Take a look at these four horsey properties that all offer the luxury of such a facility.

1. Butterton Racing Stables, Staffordshire

For you: Butterton Racing Stables has a a five-to-six-bedroom “owner’s house” connected by a covered walkway to a three-bedroom “trainer’s house”.

For the horses: there are two six-horse walkers, three American barns each with 16 Monarch looseboxes, a 20x33m arena and a five furlong all-weather gallop with a grass gallop running alongside. Set in 52 acres.

What’s the damage? £3.25m

Agent: Strutt & Parker

Telephone number: 01743 284200

Visit: www.struttandparker.com

2. Heywood Equestrian and Therapy Centre, Wiltshire

For you: Heywood Equestrian and Therapy Centre has a spacious detached four-bedroom house, which is in the course of being completed.

For the horses: there is a Claydon five-horse walker, 26 looseboxes, six feed rooms, two tack rooms, a solarium, a 33x42m outdoor arena and a 22x42m indoor school. Set in nine acres.

What’s the damage? £1.125m

Agent: Rural Scene

Telephone number: 01264 850700

Visit: www.ruralscene.co.uk

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3. Kingfisher Farm, Somerset

For you: Kingfisher Farm has a four-bedroom farmhouse plus a flat, cottage and annexe, with fishing rights on the River Brue.

For the horses: there is an indoor horse walker and exercise/lunge pen, 15 stables, a 21x61m indoor school, a 20x60m outdoor school, feed room and hay store. Set in 35 acres.

What’s the damage? £1.4m

Agent: Savills

Telephone number: 01722 426820

Visit: www.savills.com

4. Blackberry Farm, East Sussex

For you: Blackberry Farm has a three-bedroom bungalow with a self-contained annexe.

For the horses: there is a Claydon five-horse walker, a 25x50m Charles Britton outdoor school and 15 internal Monarch stables. Set in 10.5 acres.

What’s the damage? £850,000-£950,000

Agent: Batcheller Monkhouse

Telephone number: 01424 775577

Visit: www.batchellermonkhouse.com

Ref: Horse & Hound; 24 September 2015

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Used correctly, a horse walker offers many advantages — it is a great time-saver while also benefiting the horse.

A walker may seem monotonous and impersonal, but most horses seem to adapt quickly and appear happy. In the winter months, when time is short, many yards find their walker extremely useful.

“They are not a replacement for riding,” says Sally Anne Johnson, from Gloucestershire, who has three horses. “But I am on my own and I live on a main road. When the weather’s bad it’s not always possible to ride — I find it invaluable. I don’t know how I survived without one.”

“They need to march”

“Assuming they are well designed, of an adequate diameter, with an appropriate surface and the speed is set correctly, they are a good [thing],” says Dr Sue Dyson, head of clinical orthopaedics at the Animal Health Trust.

“The horses shouldn’t just be ambling along though, they need to march, using their bodies constructively — and then it’s really [beneficial] for their core. They’re good for warming up, cooling down or extra exercise.”

“The main thing is to make sure the circle is big enough for your horses,” adds equine anatomist Gillian Higgins. “If the circle diameter is too small you are constantly twisting the joints — and you need a good, giving surface. But they do keep the horses moving and it’s much better than standing in the stable all day.”

Horses can be put on the walker while mucking out is being done — if it’s in sight — so when you have finished the yard, your horse is already warmed up. In addition, they can be put on them after being ridden to cool down, which can cut riding time down if needs be.

People have also found walkers invaluable for rehabilitation. However they’re not suitable for all injuries, warns Sue. “It depends on the injury — some injuries are exacerbated by walking in a circle,” she explains. Gillian also cautions: “You have to be careful. With some injuries it’s best to walk in straight lines.”

The safety question

Leaving horses on the walker for too long, or getting them on and off while it is still moving, is not advisable.

“Most problems come as a result of human error,” explains Ashley Morsely from Molenkoning. “People get complacent. The walker should always be supervised — you need to be able to glance at it, not tuck it away behind the barn.”

Most walkers have safety features — the dividers are made of mesh and rubber, and some have emergency stop buttons.

Don’t forget to alternate the direction of the walker— some yards change the direction on alternate days. Just as in the school, this ensures that horses work both sides of their bodies, avoiding unequal stress on joints, for example.

It is best to pick the biggest walker you can afford, so the horses turn in a large circle. There are also oval walkers so that the horses work in straight lines as well as on a turn.

The cost varies depending whether you provide your own exterior fencing and base , or whether the company making the mechanisn, also provides these and other features, such as a roof.

Ref: Horse & Hound; 4 December 2014.

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Horse walkers are being advertised for well below their value on eBay, in a scam that is being investigated by police.

The adverts are all for a Monarch Horse Exerciser Consort Plus (not pictured) with a roof at various locations including London, Stoke and Ashbourne.

One small-livery yard owner, who preferred to remain anonymous, lost £4,500 after trying to buy a secondhand Monarch horse walker on eBay.

The advert had two pictures and a brief description of the walker, which the seller said was in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire and could be easily delivered.

The buyer was alerted to the fraud when she rang Monarch to ask if the walker would run on a generator. The company asked where the horse walker was and warned she might be being scammed as they had had reports of fraudulent activities.

Suspicious, the buyer asked for her money back. Despite the seller saying he would refund her, he never did.

The case was reported to the police who said it was linked to a European international criminal gang and is being investigated.

Monarch Equestrian has had several reports from others who have also fallen victim to the second-hand Monarch horse walker scam on eBay.

The company put its own advert out on eBay four weeks ago using the same pictures as the fraudulent horse walker listing.

When a potential buyer clicks on the ad by Monarch Equestrian they are warned about the fraud, which is currently taking place.

The ad stays up for the same time as the fraudulent listing and is repeated every time one goes up.

“We log every Monarch walker that goes out and if anyone is worried they should call us and we will be able to verify the authenticity of the product,” said Fiona Hardy from Monarch Equestrian.

A press officer from eBay told H&H: “Fraudsters use very sophisticated methods to try and emulate trusted websites, which is why it is so important to remember that any transaction not completed on the eBay platform, including a transaction where a customer follows instructions on an email and sends money to a bank account, is not an eBay transaction.

“People should always complete purchases or sales on eBay and PayPal and never rely on a third party email,” he added.

Buyers should beware of sellers who push for speedy completion of a transaction or refuse to allow the buyer to physically inspect a product before the purchase, warns eBay.

H&H has also had reports of scam adverts on the internet for 3.5 tonne lorries (news, 2 October).

The H&H ad team has had no issues, but H&H’s Robina Shahid added: “If there are any problems then we will act immediately. If you are in doubt, call us on 0800 316 5450.”

The Police were not able to comment at this stage as not enough information was available.

➤ How to avoid online scams

➤ Be aware of scams as second-hand sales boom [H&H VIP]

This news story was first published in Horse & Hound magazine (6 October 2014).

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Eventing owners Chris and Lisa Stone are warning others about the risk of horse-walker accidents after four-star event horse Elektron died as a result of “freak and horrific” accident at their yard last Monday, 9 July.

In a statement released to H&H, the Stones write: “As part of the normal daily routine, Elektron was put on the horse-walker before being worked. Somehow he got his head stuck in the gap between the two pusher partitions, and his neck wedged in the tiny gap between the partitions and the outside cage wall.

“By chance, our vet was already at the yard doing other routine work, but was unable to save him, and Elektron died due to a fracture of the cervical vertebrae.

“The team here is devastated, and we are making this statement to warn others of this highly unlikely, but still real, risk.”

Elektron, a 12-year-old by Esteban, was produced to four-star level by Nick Gauntlett, finishing 28th at the Mitsubishi Motors Badminton Horse Trials last year (pictured).

He moved to Paul Tapner’s yard last year, but suffered a bone injury to a knee joint while cross-country schooling, so Paul never competed him.

This year the grey had been evented by Gemma Tattersall, who is based at the Stones’ yard.

Chris and Lisa Stone also own the four-star stallion Chilli Morning, who won the Equi-Trek Bramham Horse Trials CCI*** this year with William Fox-Pitt.

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Do you have trouble keeping your pony’s weight down at this time of year?

An equestrian rehoming centre in Staffordshire has had a horse walker made to accommodate its smaller residents.

The new exerciser at the Blue Cross Centre, Rolleston has been designed by equestrian equipment manufacturer Monarch Equestrian.

“We’ve got horses of all shapes and sizes here and the little ones are often overweight,” said the Blue Cross’s Kath Urwin. “And so we wanted a horse walker that could take any size.”

Monarch Equestrian has adapted its Consort Plus model to fit the smaller ponies by shrinking the proportions.

“Instead of the normal four foot of rubber on the fences there are only two so the ponies can see out,” said Monarch Equestrian’s Barbara Fill. The pushers and dividers have also been lowered.

“This [adapted model] should help people who struggle with keeping small ponies fit,” Ms Fill added.

The Consort Plus model starts from £8685 plus vat.

For more information visit www.monarch-equestrian.co.uk

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now