Heart to Hand Equine Track System

01/02/2024

Ponies, resting in the early morning sunshine…

16/11/2023

Repairing poached areas of the track… First you lay Geotex membrane, then you collect stone from areas that are not poached and take them to the areas that are poached and lay them on top of the Geotex. It feels like one of those pointless ‘keep them busy’ exercises but it works. The last 2 photos show areas that were a problem last year, repaired in the same way…
And yes, if I look just a bit wind-tossed, I was! 🤣 It was rather cold and windy…

17/07/2023

Super summary about the equine gut biome and why diversity in diet matters...

Explaining biodiversity in the equine microbiome using the Shannon Index score. Biodiversity in the equine microbiome can be measured using the Shannon Index score. This information can be used to manage gastrointestinal health in horses.

19/06/2023

You have probably heard about track systems in some form or another. They are often associated with horses or ponies that need dietary management for conditions such as equine metabolic syndrome or…

09/06/2023

The ponies enjoyed foraging on the ‘Pick Your Own’ mound today…

02/06/2023

Today I brought the ponies over to inspect the changes in the winter track. The attitude was ‘whatever…’ They were far more interested in browsing on the trees than in trying out their new shelter area.

26/05/2023

Our lucky ponies will have a lovely shelter/hangout space on the winter track… heartfelt thanks to John and Dawn Webb for all the hard work 😍

07/05/2023

04/05/2023

Happiest of birthdays to Jaime Jackson, the man who created the concept of genuine natural horse care, developed the natural trim (a humane barefoot trimming method) after years of research in the U.S. Great Basin, followed by a study on client horses and the author of many books - including Paddock Paradise - the original horse track system!

(There’s so much more - Jaime is light years ahead of most with his understanding of the prevention and treatment of both Laminitis and Navicular Syndrome, and his creation of the Aanhcp. Interested students can learn more at Isnhcp - Institute for the Study of Natural Horse Care Practices)

We are forever indebted to your research, ideas and findings. And an understanding of the importance of good coffee. ☺️

30/04/2023

A most beautiful early morning stroll with the ponies…

18/04/2023

Why should we prioritise keeping our horses naturally?

At this moment in time, there are thousands of horses all over the UK completely isolated, enduring the confinement of a stable or the loneliness of a singular turnout paddock. Some of these horses will be clearly showing that they are struggling to cope, whilst others will suffer in silence with only the subtle, unnoticed signs of declining mental health to show for it.

Over the years, many owners have rationalised their practices of hours upon hours of restricted movement and little-to-no same species interactions with the idea that our domesticated horses require completely different management practices and treatment to those free roaming and wild. Despite popular belief, there is no biological difference that separates the wild horse from our domesticated horses and therefore, the fundamental needs, requirements and natural behaviours of wild horses are present within every single one of our domesticated horses, regardless of their breed or job. The suitability of what we feed and how we keep them does not change purely because of our ability to domesticate and ride them.

Sadly, the equine world is still rife with horses showing problem after problem because their very basic needs are going unfilled. Sometimes it’s a case of owners prioritising their own comfort levels above their horses, sometimes it’s because they’ve never known any different and sometimes it’s just because there are owners out there who refuse to explore alternative ways of doing things. Regardless of the reason, the equine world is failing an entire species that for the most part, is entirely dependent on us.

‘The more you can naturalize their lives, the better off they will be - mentally, physically and emotionally. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain by pursuing humane, natural horse care for them – which includes all aspects of a genuine Paddock Paradise track system’. – Paddock Paradise Track System - Natural Enrichment for Horses

So, what is natural to our horses?

🐴 Horses are prey animals and live in herds to bring safety in numbers. They also form bonds with other members of their herds through grooming. Denying our horses of this often causes separation anxiety and can affect a horse’s ability to form bonds with other horses, impacting their short and long term mental health.

🐴 Horses are adapted to and thrive in semi-arid environments where resources are scarce and daily movement is required to fulfil their needs. Although research is still forth-coming and we don't know with 100% certainty the entirety of their diet, we do know wild horses forage throughout the day on the likes of rough, low nutrient density grasses that largely lack in sugars, minerals and nutrients when compared to what's readily available in the UK.

🐴 Horses are designed to move consistently throughout the day in search for food so regular, consistent movement is crucial to their overall health. Movement is vital for proper gut function, good hoof health, muscle and bone health and the lymphatic system. Additionally, movement provides a level of enrichment, overall improving their mental and physical health.

🐴 Horses in the wild are consistently on the go, achieving roughly 20 miles per day. During that time, they are using their brains and discovering sounds, smells, sights and potential predators along the way. Providing enrichment in one way or another is super important and encourages their natural instincts in a domesticated setting.

🐴 Horses in the wild naturally self-trim down to the hard sole plane, allowing for a perfectly functional, rock-crunching barefoot hoof. This hoof can easily absorb the shock of their movement, flex over different terrain, encourage blood flow and therefore new growth, provide traction and balance the hoof exactly how the horse requires it.

So, at this point you may be thinking – “how the heck am I meant to provide my horse all of that?!”

Thanks to Jaime Jackson’s research on the wild and free-roaming horses of the Great Basin many moons ago, the Paddock Paradise track system was created, allowing owners from all over the world to provide their domesticated horses with all of the above, prioritising horses being horses.

12/04/2023

Ari dreaming ❤️❤️❤️

12/04/2023

Snooze Time…

10/04/2023

Planting willow whips - cuttings off the first batch of 25, planted 8 years ago. They are lovely trees now. I plant willow every year. In spite of my efforts to protect them, the rabbits manage to get some, the ponies get some, and some don’t take. However, at least 1/2 of today’s 20 are expected to look like their parents one day…

10/04/2023

I don’t care whether track systems are a fad. I care about happy horses. My horses are noticeably well and happy, living this way.

09/04/2023

The season changes, and at last the mud has dried up. Yesterday we moved the ponies off the winter track and onto the larger summer track. Everyone is very happy this morning.

07/03/2023

In 2014 we bought our home in Norfolk. There was a 4 acre field across the lane and a smaller field of about 1 acre in front of the house. It was a blank canvas, just waiting for us to begin :-)

07/03/2023

We started developing a track system for our ponies soon after we moved to Norfolk in 2014, realising a dream that had been in the making ever since I read Jamie Jackson’s book ‘Paddock Paradise’. I’m grateful for the then radical insights presented by Jamie. I am also forever grateful to Liane Wilding of ‘Three Ravens Natural Boarding’ and Catherine Woods, both of whom inspired me by sharing many photos of their process of setting up track systems in the UK on FB, along with many other people along the way; ‘trackies’ are a passionate and visionary lot, proving through their stories and their happy well adjusted equines that this is a viable and effective way of keeping horses, in any country. Eight years from our blank slate beginnings, I’m eager to tell our stories too…