Pony swimming with bad knee?

Question

We have a pony at our barn that we use in lessons. He's about 19 and was a major show pony in his younger days. He won champion all the time but unfortunately was overjumped. He now has a bad knee due to all of the jumping. We have him on a joint supplement in his feed once a day and about once every 2-2 1/2 years he gets an injection in that knee and is like a whole new pony, moving fantastic like there is nothing wrong with his knee. We use him for beginners, walk trot canter and small jumps 2-3 times a week. He just got his injection a few months ago and is moving great, my question is would it be bad, good or neither for his knee if i took him swimming in my neighbors pond? We take a bunch of our other horses swimming in the summer and this pony LOVES water, i know he would love to go swimming, but i'm worried it might affect his knee. I know that some horses do water therapy but i dont know in what circumstances thats for.

Thanks for your help!

Answer 1

It should be good for him and if there is any swelling, swimming will bring it down. I'm not a vet but that is my say in the matter.

Answer 2

i agree, if anything it will be good for him and should gain strength from it

Answer 3

no it wont be bad for him it will improve his strenth and so on...and i highly recomend it, because i take my horse to the lake once a week to go swim and he has arthritis in his hock and i cant even tell the arthritis is even there since he has gone swiming.

Answer 4

Water therapy is usually done in a deep concrete pool with the horse swimming against an artificial current.  It's a GREAT way to exercise and limber up creaky joints, as the horse moves it against resistance but doesn't have to support his weight.

For your pony, I'd think swimming would be great as long as there isn't a rocky bottom he could knock himself on, or a muddy bottom that would pull on his joints too much.  

Many horses love water, and if he's one of them I would at the very least let him paddle in it, provided the bottom's ok!