Rehabilitation Centre
For Horses in Kerpen

Traditionally the treadmill develops your horse’s strength and endurance without the rider’s weight as an influence. At the moment only treadmills with uphill training can be purchased on the market. Research studies have proven that uphill training with an inclination of 0 – 10% builds the musculature of the hindquarters and improves a horse’s performance by 30%. In addition the horse’s top line is strengthened from the neck over the back. The focus of the training lies in the uphill work to boost muscle activity from the hindquarters in an upward direction as with show jumping horses or with the cadence and uphill movement dressage horses are trained for. The shoulder girdle musculature is often neglected although it deals with shock absorption upon landing in each stride.
In a treadmill with downhill training, the elastic component of the muscles, especially in the shoulder girdle, are also trained and developed just like with uphill training. The energy, that is released in the propulsive phase of the movement, can be properly balanced out by the muscles in the stance phase. This physical balance, determined by gravity, is equally important in dressage as in show jumping.
The idea of a controlled uphill-downhill training on the horse walker has been developed by Stefan Stammer in his Stammer©Kinetics biomechanical concept.