Summer evenings on the track are the best times!! 🌞 The horses are relaxed, and it is such a calming place to be. We've seen lots of bumblebees 🐝 and butterflies 🦋 today, and we still have some swallows nesting in the stable 🪹 so hopefully, there's plenty more summer evenings to come this year 🤞
#paddockparadise #tracksystem #summervibes #asmr #seniorhorse #barefoothorses #friendsforagefreedom
After such a warm week, the horses are all feeling much more spirited in the cooler weather 🐎🍂
#paddockparadise #tracksystem #barefoothorses #friendsforagefreedom #horsesbeinghorses #naturalenrichment
One of those moments that make it all worthwhile 🥰 🐴🐴
#horsesneedfriends #friendsforagefreedom #herdlife #paddockparadise
Variety is the spice of life, and the same goes for conditioning your horses feet!
The more diverse the surfaces your horse's hooves encounter, the stronger and more adaptable they become. By exposing them to different terrains, you're helping to build resilience and over all hoof health. Hooves that tend to do well are those that are consistently worked over different surfaces. This not only strengthens their hooves, but also enhances the horse's overall performance. The same principle applies to track systems - using different surfaces around the track helps keep hooves strong and versatile.
Whether your horse is in ridden work or not, finding ways to provide different surfaces for them to regularly encounter will have long term benefits for the quality of their hooves.
Consistent exposure to varied terrains is key to building strong healthy hooves.
Thanks to Sarah Leggett for the video. It was lovely to see you all having some fun on the beach!
Our barefoot ambassadors have once again done us proud. They have been out competing at a one day event and demonstrated beautifully that you don't need shoes or studs to excel on grass 👌🐎🐎🐎 Thomas and Issac both jumped double clear and foot perfect in their classes, with Thomas and Shadow finishing in 8th place 👏 but an extra special well done to Sarah Leggett who finished 2nd place in the 100cm with her much loved mare Sapphire 🦄 🏆🥇Thanks as always for letting us share your journey 🙂
#equinepodiatryinaction #noshoestolose #barefoothorses #ironfreehooves
When Beaky arrived, it's fair to say that he didn't possess much in the way of social skills, but recently, we have been observing episodes of mutual grooming between him and Tyson, which is a sure sign that he feels safe and accepted, even with one of our more dominant horses. Mutual grooming is so important for horses as it not only helps them to rid each other of loose hair and parasites, but it builds important bonds and strengthens friendships within the herd, as well as having a deeply calming effect, helping them to de-stress. So it is wonderful to see that Beaky is now feeling relaxed enough to enjoy this moment of peace and intimacy with Tyson.
#herdlife #horsesbeinghorses #friendsforagefreedom #paddockparadise
⛰️🐴Climbing rocky hills might be a tough task for little Thimble, but it's just what she needs to stay healthy! Despite the challenge due to her size, our tracks ups and downs have been a game changer for her. This movement not only keeps Thimble fit but also helps keep laminitis at bay, a problem she struggled with in the past. Every step your horse takes is a step towards better health! 💪🐎
#hillworkout #preventlaminitis #motionislotion #barefoothorse #paddockparadise
Companions encourage movement!
Domestic horses thrive in groups and exhibit unique social behaviours. They're not fans of being alone, and their activity levels increase when they're with others 🐎🐎 The more dominant horse often plays a key role, guiding the others towards water, shelter, or food. Interestingly, the lesser dominant horses are quite content to follow the lead, showing trust and cooperation within the herd. Leadership isn't always fixed, though, and different horses may take the lead at different times.
#herddynamics #animalbehaviour #friendsforagefreedom #tracklife #paddockparadise #barefoothorses #herdlife #movementismedicine #horsesbeinghorses
One of our smaller clients, Rio 🥰 is away at pony camp with Maisie, his human, this week. Mum sent us this little video and said Rio has been foot perfect, with no slipping all week on his barefoot tootsies, while everyone else has been fiddling around with studs 🐎👌
#equinepodiatryinaction #barefoothorse #noshoestolose #naturalhoofcare
Frogs can become so tough this time of year that this horse had absolutely no idea they were walking around with a stone stuck in their frog. The stone and dirt were removed, the hole was flushed with Sole Cleanse to clean out any remaining debris which if left, could potentially cause infection, then the hole was packed with Hoof Stuff which will prevent any further dirt and bacteria from getting in whilst promoting healing and providing support. We love Red Horse Products 👌
It's a miracle this little Hawthorn has survived as it spent much of winter standing in flood water! We did contemplate fencing it off for a while to recover, but it seems to be doing OK. If you're considering which trees or shrubs to plant for your horse to browse either on a track or around the edge of a paddock, then Hawthorn is definitely a favourite with our herd.
Horses can consume different parts of Hawthorn including the berries which are commonly used in supplements as they are rich in antioxidants and are said to support cardiovascular health, the leaves and flowers are particularly popular with our guys and are thought to benefit heart function and circulation, and in winter time horses will often consume the twigs and bark which will provide a valuable source of lignin.
Allowing horses the opportunity to browse and select different plants and shrubs to eat is a great source of natural enrichment for them which can also be enjoyed during a hack or in hand walk, and as you can see with Roxy, it also encourages them to gently stretch in ways they wouldn't normally, with just ground level forage.
#browsersnotgrazers #lignin #naturalenrichment #friendsforagefreedom #paddockparadise #tracksystem #barefoothorses
It's so hard to believe what a stress head Beaky was when he arrived but he was happy to snooze through all four feet being trimmed yesterday 🧡
With an appropriate diet and trim, hooves should adapt to their environment enabling the horse to walk over any surface that is required, comfortably. We can't expect a horse that spends all of their time on soft surfaces to develop rockcrunching hooves.
#equinepodiatry #barefoothorses #tracksystem #paddockparadise
Keeping non ridden equines in good health can be particularly challenging, and whilst it is absolutely OK that Harry at age 13 hasn't been "worked" for almost four years, it is still essential that we find ways to keep him fit and active, as well as mentally stimulated, if he is to remain in good health. An effective track system should encourage adequate movement and plenty of enrichment to keep them busy and motivated.
#friendsforagefreedom #motionislotion #tracksystem #paddockparadise #naturalenrichment #metabolichealth #movementismedicine #exracer #barefoothorse #rockcrunchinghooves #hillworkout
In their natural environment, horses would move much more than most domesticated horses. This movement would be over many different surfaces, up and down hills, seldom in a straight line, and for much of the day, their hooves would trim naturally. This is how nature deals with hoof care. So when a professional trims a horse's feet, they will be trying to create this same hoof wear, which in nature would happen gradually, but in domestication, we are trying to emulate it approximately every six weeks, and this is something to consider when thinking about how often a horse's feet should be trimmed. Several clients have requested that their horse's feet be trimmed more often than the standard six weeks and for them we offer three weekly appointments. We also have many clients who do small amounts of maintenance trimming between their appointments but this is not for everyone. We have to agree that, in most cases, hooves do better when they are trimmed more regularly. Even our horses seldom go more than a few weeks between trims and live on a surfaced track. Rather than basing their trims on a calendar, we are guided by how fast their feet grow, which can fluctuate during the year and individual growth rates. However, for what is required for a horse to be sound with functional feet, most can cope with the standard six weekly appointments, and only some people are happy to pay or can afford more frequent trimming, which is also completely acceptable. It depends on what you are trying to achieve regarding your horse's hoof care. In an ideal world, your hoof care provider would be visiting every week, but this is neither practical nor affordable. What is important is that your horse's feet are trimmed at least every six weeks and that their feet are capable of doing the job that is needed.
#equinepodiatry #hoofcare #trimcycle
Track systems are great for supporting nature and the environment. We are blessed with a huge variety of plants here and the land provides a home not just for the horses, but for many species of insects, birds and animals.
Mr T striding down the hill just as the sun came out 🌞
We had an enjoyable visit from Jared of Jelka Group on Friday afternoon, who came along for a tour of the track and to look at how we have used their Top Clean Mats in different areas. We showed him the different feed stations and walkways that we have created. We told him how impressed we were with how well the mats had coped with such a wet winter compared to the areas we had surfaced. Although some surfaced areas are essential for conditioning the horse's feet, we will be repairing most of the water-damaged areas of the track, mainly using Jelka mats for next winter because they are so easy to lay and it works ouy so much cheaper than surfacing, and they work! It was refreshing talking to someone who is on the same page as we are when it comes to horse welfare, and in particular, how important it is for the health and well-being of horses that we allow them to have friends, freedom and lots of movement. We discussed how frustrating it can be to convince the horse world that times are changing now that we have more knowledge and understanding of keeping horses better. We talked about ways to work together in the future to help enlighten people and bring about change for domesticated horses.
The horses were all very interested in their visitor. Once Roxy had checked Jared over and given the all-clear, Thimble was keen to reorganise his Velcro pockets (apologies), and Beaky was impressed by his shoes (more apologies).
Unfortunately, we were so engrossed in conversation that we forgot to take any pictures, so here is a small selection of some of the areas where the mats have worked well for us.
Do our horses use the stable? Yes, sometimes they do, but the door is never closed, so they are always free to leave.
#friendsforagefreedom #FreedomToMove #barefoothorses #tracksystem
Finally, we have some sunshine! ☀️🐎