Building a physically and mentally healthy and happy herd takes WORK.

Social interactions are vital for horses as herd forming prey animals. Track systems can provide herd style horse keeping but care must be given to individual horse needs within the herd. Each new horse should be evaluated for traits, behaviors, or habits and integrated slowly and carefully into an established herd. Existing herds should be continually monitored and managed to serve each individual horse’s needs.

Allowing 24/7 access to forage alleviates issues related to feeding time (anxiety, aggression) as well as reduces the risk of colic by keeping the stomach somewhat full all the time.

Horses are designed by nature to eat small amounts often, but humans typically feed on a schedule of 2-3 large feedings daily. A track system provides horses the opportunity to move from forage source to forage source, increasing movement and mimicking a wild environment where horses travel to access food resources.

Horses need movement to maintain mental and physical health.

Many traditional methods of horse-keeping include some sort of confinement and turnout combination. Track systems allow movement 24/7 and eliminate the use of stalling or confinement in most cases. Horses are happier when they have freedom of movement. Tracks can be designed to enrich the lives of horses in many ways.

Track systems can be designed to balance the needs of the horse and the reality of being a busy horse-keeper.

In many cases track systems can be easier to maintain than traditional horse keeping methods like stalls. Tracks can be designed with time management in mind, reducing labor and providing owners with more flexibility and more time to ride!