24/10/2024
Stabling for horses is just a human convenience. Stop making excuses and lying to yourself.
On the comment section of my controversial strip grazing post the other day, someone asked if track systems are only for horses with health conditions, and if the concept of the paddock paradise was meant to be a one size fits all scenario. I have already spoken on how to manage a herd with varying needs not too long ago, so today I thought I’d discuss the question of what type of horse track systems are meant to be suited to.
The paddock paradise is one of the 4 pillars of natural horse care, which uses the lifestyle of wild and free roaming horses living naturally in the U.S Great Basin as it’s model. It was created to provide domesticated horses with the benefits of a natural, species appropriate lifestyle, optimising their overall health physically and mentally.
Horses, regardless of whether they’re domesticated or not, have a particular set of needs that, should they go ignored or unfilled, can have a catastrophic effect on their mental, emotional and physically health. You can split these up into a few, very brief and very large, sections:
- Movement
The type of movement I am describing is not made up solely of short bursts of exercise achieved through the likes of riding or groundwork. The movement achieved throughout their day should be consistent and often slow, in addition to short bursts of energy (i.e. running away from a predator). In the wild, horses travel upwards of 20 miles a day. Our management methods for domestic horses provide an environment that creates lazy horses or restricts them entirely and barely scratches the surface in terms of the daily distance they should be achieving.
- Diet
Horses are natural browsers, and in their natural habitat, they browse consistently throughout the day and night, moving from resource to resource. They are also adapted to and thrive in semi-arid environments where said resources are scarce and must be worked for, deriving a little bit of nutrition with lots of mouthfuls. Although research is still forth coming on this particular topic, we do know wild horses appear to forage on the likes of rough, low nutrient density grasses. Traditional settings encourage stagnation and a low fibre, high water diet that is typically unsuitable to feed as forage.
This is a huge subject that I am happy to go into more detail on a separate post.
- Herd living
Horses are prey animals that naturally live in herds. They’re taught socialising skills, herd dynamics and behaviours from a young age by other horses and rely on numbers for safety. Horses who are refused their core, fundamental needs like living with other horses typically develop resource guarding issues, separation anxiety, an inability to recognise social behaviours from other horses, and some completely shut down all together. It is crucial for their mental health and so incredibly overlooked.
- Hoof health & care
This again is a big subject so I will touch on this in a future post. To summarise, hoof health has a knock-on affect to the entire body. Traditional management practices are brilliant at creating poor, sensitive hooves which then treated with more traditional practices such as shoeing, compromising the integrity of the hoof and it’s ability to function optimally. Healthy hooves are created from the inside out, through diet, movement, stimulation and humane, natural trimming methods.
- Lastly, enrichment. I believe this one is kind of self-explanatory but let me know if you'd like an additional post to elaborate.
With all these fundamental requirements our horses possess in mind, it’s easy to understand why the domestic equine world is riddled with problem after problem surrounding mental or physical health.
For example:
A poor diet can often cause or contribute massively to all stages of Laminitis, EMS, hormone health, whole body inflammation, issues with digestion such as ulcers, colic and bloating, poor hoof health etc.
Restricted movement also creates poor gut health, joint health, hoof health, muscle mass, weight management, as well as affecting things like circulation, stiffness and the blood and lymphatic system.
Living in isolation causes poor confidence and social skills, resource guarding, anxiety around being with other horses and without other horses, stress and boredom related behaviours such as windsucking, depressed horses or horses stuck in ‘flight’ mode, an inability to integrate with other horses and more. A lack of enrichment also contributes to many of the above too.
Shoeing or invasive trimming methods can cause issues like Navicular syndrome, contracted heels, thrush, SI issues, arthritis, stiffness, imbalance, an increased risk of injury, additional strain on joints etc.
So, to answer the original question – the paddock paradise model is not just suited to horses already co-existing with poor health or various struggles, but every horse in a domestic setting. It should not be normal practice for our horses to experience ill health and common conditions to the extent that they do before we intervene in a much larger way. I would rather set my horses up for success by adapting my management methods to fit their needs, than attempt to undo or repair the damage caused in an owner-centric world.
In my opinion, the paddock paradise model needs to be adopted as a preventative measure against environment and diet-based issues. Unfortunately, it still remains a last attempt at helping our horses recover or rehabilitate rather than a way to provide an environment, in our domestic world, where they can become their healthiest, happiest selves.
'The principal goal of PP is to facilitate health and soundness – both physical and mental – in our horses. In fact, it is an ideal preventative to many of the illnesses and disorders plaguing domestic equines who are forced to live in stalls or other forms of close confinement or, equally hazardous, in lush, sugar-laden grass pastures. In fact, a genuine PP can virtually eliminate the risk of laminitis, colic, Navicular Syndrome, Cushings Syndrome, and other debilitating conditions caused by an unnatural lifestyle and diet. As well, it allows horses to eat as they do in nature – on the move!'
- Paddock Paradise
..
As always, I'm keen to know your thoughts and experiences, whether they align with mine or not. Let me know in the comments below.
However, please be respectful and kind towards myself and other commenters regardless of a difference in opinions. Lastly, a quick reminder that this page and the content I choose to post is also not up for debate or discussion, despite inviting discussion on my posts. TIA
