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Horses, swimming, and holding their breath

I read a memoir a few years back written by a sailor from the 1800’s who said that when a ship capsized, you always followed where the horses were swimming, because they could smell land. And sometimes, you’d be in port and a horse would come swimming in and you’d know that a boat capsized and the men all died, just the horses made it.

But apparently, at least according to the internet, horses aren’t that great of swimmers. Like, couldn’t swim for more than maybe an hour. Unless it was very cold, the people would outlast the horses.

Another one, is that I was told growing up horses could hold their breath for 5 minutes. Well, apparently horses can’t really hold their breath that well either, and if they go underwater they immediately drown.

I’m pretty sure there’s no one scientifically testing these things. I just thought it was strange how little we knew (and still, how little we know) about an animal that we have been around for thousands of years.

I’ve always heard that horses can’t hold their breath under water at all.

Very, very few people can actually swim for an hour either I would think, without a lot of practice. I did an indoor sprint triathlon once, at a time that I was running marathons and very fit (but not swimming regularly) and just swimming laps for ten minutes almost killed me. So I am sure that’s true for horses too especially since they can’t just float.

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In our rehab barn swimming treadmill, you start horses walking on water or swimming for a minute or two first and later once more fit, at the longest very few minutes, is hard work!

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This thread makes me wonder how they made/filmed The Black Stallion when the ship was sinking.

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Good point, also, thinking about it, a lot of people in the 1800’s didn’t know how to swim.

I think it would depend on how rough the seas are, since people can float on their backs in calm waters. If the seas aren’t rough and the water is warm people can last a lot longer. I know there was a person who got swept out to sea off of Florida by a rip tide and she stayed out there for hours before they got to her. But as far as I know horses have to actively swim to stay above water, unlike people.

A lot of movies from before CGI had serious animal abuse :cry:

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We used to take our horses down to the lake to swim, play in the water. None ever seemed to have any issue with swimming or getting exhausted fast. Have to say each horse had a “style” that was used when swimming, that made them easier or hard to stay on, while swimming. One pony swam like a Hippo, everything under water but her eyes and ears! She would “rise up” to half submerged, blow out her lungs, then drop back under the water! Another horse swam vertically, like a sea horse. Never did get horizontal, so long mane was helpful to stay on her. Most horses swam with front and hind level, easy to ride and direct.

The Black Stallion had a double for the swimming scenes. They used a wetlands horse in France, dyed black. L’Carmague (not correct spelling) who swim regularly rounding up cattle in the wetlands.

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Cass Ole was a very valuable horse. I thought I read somewhere that they didn’t allow him to do any cantering scenes for the movie either.

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I used to swim a lot of horses at the track. Some were lazy—they would hold their breath and sort of float :sweat_smile: But the water sort of buoys up their internal organs and makes it hard for them to inflate and deflate their lungs, so it’s hard on their respiratory system.

I just saw how old this post was … don’t know why it popped up as recent lol

This reminds me of this news story a few years back, apparently some horses swim quite well!

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Isn’t swimming used as part of interval training, or is that something from the past? I recall a Bruce Davidson video from the 1980’s where he was using swimming as a component of conditioning his horses. Or do I have him confused with another eventer? Anyway, I remember the horse’s breathing while it swam reminded me of a motorboat.

I have seen swimming used as a portion of a horse’s sonditioning, especially race horses, racing QHs. Water resistance builds muscle and wind. Also swimming is used as therapy, no impact on the legs, after injury.

That’s scary! But it does corroborate what sailors said about horses being good swimmers. Just not so much about them knowing how to swim to the land….

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I agree, it depends on the individual horse.

My first horse was a natural water baby; he’d go swimming whenever the opportunity arose. One place I boarded, the owner told me in amazement that my horse went swimming every day in the stock pond (actual swimming, not just standing around in the deep water). I wasn’t surprised – there was often a water line on him when I’d arrive at the barn. He always wanted to get in water – a lake, a river, wherever – and swim. He was graceful, and comfortable to sit when swimming, and it didn’t seem to be taxing him - he enjoyed it so.

While on a multiple day, cross-country trail ride, there was a beautiful river at one night’s campsite, so I took him swimming, bareback of course and in a halter. Have precious photos of him swimming there, taken by a friend – the water was like crystal, and his legs show clearly in the pictures. He was mid-twenties at this point and just as avid a swimmer as ever.

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My daughter’s QH lost her at a cross country jump and took off towards the barn. As usual at a horse trial he was running through yelling people waving and yelling whoa and was pursued by an army of golf carts. But he was distracted by a big pond, headed to it and jumped in for a swim, happily paddling around, all tacked up of course. Since none of the pursuers felt like a swim with him he took his time coming back to shore. He would go for a swim at any opportunity.

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Back in the 80’s my parents had an Appaloosa, she was probably a large pony. They didn’t know much about horses and lived on an island, no other horses around. They had a barging business, so they transported her on the barge with all of her hay stacked up around her.
She would swim to the neighbouring islands and my parents would get phone calls to come and get her. They would boat over and “tow” her back home again. After a year or two they figured she was probably lonely so they sold her.

I took my A/O hunter swimming at the beach once. They might not be agile in the water, but they can definitely swim faster than I can.

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https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/arabian-show-horse-rescued-after-swimming-three-miles-ocean-flna776601

Well, this one made it 3 miles out to sea and 3 miles back, with some help on the way back in.

I remember watching this unfold and was so thankful the horse had been gray, so easier to spot in the water.

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