British Horseracing Authority Approved Pool
Uplands was one of the first yards in Lambourn to have a private swimming pool and it has proven incredibly useful over the years for horses recovering from injury. It is essential for management of injuries and allows horses to get a feeling of ‘weightlessness’, which is fantastic for tendon and ligament injuries as it allows a horse to exercise and stretch without any force going through the leg. It is also very useful for keeping horses fit without the weight of a rider or tack on their back.
The pool is extremely well-maintained and and certified by the BHA, but if you have any doubts, please look at our FAQ here. You can also get in touch with Amber on 07393351443 with any queries involving the pool, use of the pool and group bookings.
We offer multi booking discounts for the pool please check out the "Plans & Pricing" tab at the top of the screen or click below
After our expert team of staff have swum your horse, in the pool barn we have two solarium walkers to warm up and cool off your horse, along with a hot wash box to rinse them once they come out. We have stabling and grazing available for a full V.I.P service.
1 hr
34 British pounds
Equine Hydrotherapy Pool FAQ
What are the benefits of swimming horses?
There are many benefits to swimming your horse, namely improving fitness, as they have to work so hard when swimming so it’s excellent to increase the capacity of their heart and lungs as well as toning muscles. It is also a great way to exercise horses with previous tendon/ligament issues, as well as ongoing rehabilitation for injuries as it gives a feeling of weightlessness which decreases impact on the leg. It takes out the concussive force that most stamina, road work and galloping work brings to the table. It has been proven to help horses recovering from laminitis and EMS, and for racing has been shown to improve length of stride and flexibility. Many horses also enjoy swimming as an enrichment activity, and love the variation it provides!
How do horses swim?
The size of a horse’s lung aids their competency to swim. One horse lung can hold 55 litres of air, and these act as a floatation device to keep horses from sinking. They also have really strong legs which means they can kick and power through the water.
How long should horses swim for?
Swimming is hard work and horses will tire quickly, so most swimming plans are tailored more like a high intensity interval workout than a long-lasting activity. They should swim for no longer than 5-10 minutes and have an adequate warm up and cool down afterwards. Swimming isn’t suitable for every horse, and it’s essential you are honest about your horse’s abilities and fitness with our team so we can assess if swimming is the right training method or not. Swimming is not recommended for horses that have had kissing spine operations, or horses that are particularly lacking top-line muscle.
What can I expect from a swimming session?
Each horse gets a pre-swim assessment, a warm up on a solarium-heated walker, an introduction to the pool, a 5-10 minute swim depending on ability and fitness, and then a wash off followed by a cool down/dry off in the solarium heated walker. We have a team of expert staff who are very experienced and friendly, and we have overnight/day stabling available if needed or if you are swimming more than one horse.  Each horse will get offered a drink of water with Omega Equine electrolytes after a swim to restore some key salts lost in the efforts of swimming and to aid muscle recovery.