1964-Voice Of The Tennessee Walking Horse 1964 April Voice | Page 40

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One of the most convenient, labor saving devices ever developed
for the modern stable is the “automatic walker” or “cooler” as it is
called by some. Specifically, this is a four spoke arrangement that
revolves around a central vertical axle. It is designed to allow from one
to four horses to be walked automatically until they are completely dry
after a work-out or after they have been washed. There are other uses
for the walker such as providing a means of gently exercising a horse
with a pulled muscle or strained tendon.
We will outline the basic elements necessary to construct an auto­
matic walker and will give some details as to how to plan and set one
up. Before going into the details of
the devise itself I would like to
mention several important factors
to keep in mind when arranging
to include this in a new stable or
in a stable already in operation.
Number One: Do not underestimate
the strength of your horses. Re­
member that the average Tennessee
Walking Horse weighs from 900
to 1200 Lbs. Put four of these ani­
mals on one machine and you have a
tremendeous amount of destructive
potential in the making. Our sug­
gestion is to make your “walker” as
strong as possible in all respects.
Number Two: Remember that your
horses are going to be active while
they are on the “walker” and
should be secured firmly but with
enough room to move about so as
not to become irritated while cool­
ing out. Number Three: Pre-plan
all safety measures possible. If you
plan to put it inside, your “walker”
should have a wall or fence that
closes off the corners of the room
so that a horse cannot get caught
between the wall and the hori­
zontal spokes of the “walker”. An
electric switch should be conveni­
ently located so that it can be
reached at any time and electric
wiring should be run through an
iron pipe at least 1 ft. in the
ground. Your walker room should
also have a rear entrance to en­
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able you to reach a horse in case
of emergency on the back side
while other horses are on the
walker. Number Four: The “Walk­
er” room should be in a spot that
drains well and will not allow an
accumulation of mud and manure
to hinder the movement of your
horses. Remember that if you use
this devise regularly, the area
where the horses walk will get a
lot of wear in a very short time. A
regular application of sawdust will
keep the ground dry and provide a
good footing for your horses.
Alright! Let’s build an automatic
walker! The room will have to be
at least 24'x24' square. It should be
on a firm foundation and should be
located as close to your work area
as possible, to allow you to get
horses on and off as easily as pos­
sible. You will need the following
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VOICE of The Tennessee Walking- Horse