Racehorses get water <a href="https://healthylife7.com/steelers-host-former-browns-safety-for-workout/” title=”Steelers host former Browns safety for workout”>workouts to protect joints, beat the heat at Reisterstown farm
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Updated: 6:07 PM EDT Jul 31, 2026Editorial Standards ⓘ
Jennifer Franciotti
News Anchor, Reporter
Racehorses get water workouts to protect joints, beat the heat at Reisterstown farm
Updated: 6:07 PM EDT Jul 31, 2026Editorial Standards ⓘ
Jennifer Franciotti
News Anchor, Reporter
REISTERSTOWN, Md. —
A private farm in Reisterstown has a unique approach to exercise steeplechase race horses
Two horses took a gallop Friday morning on the turf, on their way to see some friends for an unexpected form of exercise. But no saddle was necessary because the horses went for a swim in the farm’s pond
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“We currently have five horses here that are regularly swimming, maybe not every day, but at least two or three times a week, and it offsets having to gallop every day,” said trainer Cyrill Murphy
Murphy told WBAL-TV 11 News that McTigue and Gold Charm are fresh from two big wins: McTigue at Saratoga and Gold Charm at Colonial Downs. Part of their recipe to help them win those races is their unconventional swimming routine
“I don’t know if it’s the secret recipe, but it certainly helps us, and the horses enjoy it,” Murphy told WBAL-TV 11 News
Murphy said the pond exercise also becomes a mechanism to combat the drought, which can cause the ground to get too hard and negatively impact the horses’ joints
“It’s good for his cardio, gets his airway working, good for all his muscles without putting any stress on any bones or joints,” Murphy told WBAL-TV 11 News. “We do not have an artificial track. We literally train on the natural turf every day of the week.”
Murphy said the water exercises also help with the cooling process
“You cannot make a horse fit, get a horse fit purely by swimming them, but you can help maintain their fitness once they reach a certain level,” Murphy told WBAL-TV 11 News
He told WBAL-TV 11 News the results speak for themselves
“It’s a big advantage to us. Is it an overall advantage compared to everyone else? I don’t know, but our results say it’s working for us at the moment,” Murphy told WBAL-TV 11 News
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