Clever enrichment ideas for your horses
How to mimic a natural environment in a man-made setting for your horse.
Marie B. from Paddock Paradise Tasmania shares her ideas
This is part 2 of our series on how we can ensure our horses live a happy and healthy life. Marie B. has worked with and been around horses all her life. She has trained show jumpers and cross-country horses on all levels when she was younger. Now living in Tasmania, she has developed - and is constantly improving - a unique track system for her horses.
In the first part of our series about the ‘Paddock Paradise’ track system setup (Listen to your horse and let us get back to basics.) we spoke about horses being natural browsers, which means they eat what they can find while they are constantly on the move. So when we just turn out our horse in a square flat paddock the horse will mostly just stand still while their caloric intake skyrockets. So how do we get them moving?
How to encourage your horse to move, to exercise & to forage
Marie says:
“Through simple adjustments to our paddock set up, we can create an environment that encourages them to move. Placing their water source at one end and food and shelter at the opposite end of the track system means that the horses have to move to get their basic needs covered, and they will!”
Mimicking the horses natural environment
“Other things we can do to make their environment more stimulating is to mimic the horse's natural environment, behaviour and need for maintenance.
In nature, horses are self-trimming, which means they never see a horseshoe or a hoof rasp as they will wear down their hooves while walking many kilometres daily, often on rough terrain. This stimulates the horse's natural proprioception and blood flow to the hooves maintaining optimal biomechanics.
In a man-made setting such as a track system, we can create surfaces by adding different footings, such as crushed rock, road base, gravel of different sizes, sand and even areas with logs and branches.
The mix of surface types will not only stimulate and wear down the horse's hooves but will also be a great addition to the fitness of the horse as they have to use their muscles in a more challenging setting than they would in a flat paddock. Adding logs or branches is also a great way of keeping your senior horses and yearlings fit and strong.
If you have the option to incorporate hills into your track system this will also improve their strength and fitness and can contribute towards muscular development.”
Including supplement stations in your track system
In nature, horses will seek out different areas with different mineral compounds in the earth and they will eat and or lick some of this mineral-rich dirt to cover their mineral needs. The major minerals (calcium, phosphorus and magnesium) and trace minerals (iron, copper, zinc and manganese) need to be in balance for a healthy horse and when having horses as pets or companions, as the owners it is our responsibility to provide an appropriate and balanced diet for our horses when they don't have the option to find it for themselves.
Marie’s idea is to create access to similar supplements that the horses would have in nature in their track setting.
“An example can be to provide different types of mineral mixes or herbs in areas where the horses can eat from them if they choose to do so. If you feed a free choice of minerals, remember to choose products that have low nutritional value and are not too palatable for the horse as they can easily overindulge in sweetened products. If your horse eats everything at once you should only refill every once in a while to avoid overfeeding.”
“Another way to provide minerals and herbs is to set up a flavourful water bar. You can choose to use different dry or fresh herbs to infuse the water with and let the horses choose what they feel like or what they like the taste of on the day. Always have fresh clean water available at all times next to the infused water. I find that different horses have different preferences and they often don’t drink the same flavour every day.”
Do your research on what types of herbs are safe & beneficial to include in your horses diet
Marie highlights that she always encourages horse owners to do their own research on which herbs will benefit their horses and what dosages are safe to feed.
“Some flavours that I have had great experiences with are:
Chamomile - I am yet to meet a horse who doesn't like chamomile, fresh or dried. Chamomile can have a calming effect and anti-inflammatory properties as well as an anti-allergenic effect if your horse is prone to allergies.
Peppermint - Peppermint is known to help with digestive problems. Peppermint has been found to have a positive effect on respiratory function and help relieve symptoms of conditions such as asthma and bronchitis. It has also been found to have pain-relieving properties.
Apple Cider Vinegar - Most horses find Apple Cider Vinegar very palatable and love a little splash in their drinking water. Studies have shown that Apple Cider Vinegar can aid to lower blood sugar levels. Do use all low pH supplements with caution as it can affect the natural stomach acid and do not use it for horses with known ulcers.
Other herbs that horses often like are: liquorice, meadowsweet, thyme and rosemary. You can also add fresh fruit and selected vegetables to the drinking water to encourage water intake on hot days. I find that many horses like celery, carrots, apples, and bananas (celery and carrots are very low in sugars and would be the choice of preference). And always provide a free choice of salt. This can also be hung in different parts of the track.”
Again always educate yourself about what plants and fruits are toxic to horses before feeding them (many are not aware that avocados for example are highly toxic to horses as they contain persin that can cause respiratory distress and even death).
Include trees or scratch poles
Another benefit of a track system is that you can create areas where your horse can scratch that itchy spot that they can't get their paddock mates to reach.
Marie says:
“The most simple solution is to include some trees inside the track, so the horses can use them as scratching posts. You can also attach some soft broom heads to the trees so they can scratch without getting tree sap or splinters in their skin, but please consider not nailing or screwing into the tree as it might damage the tree and a nail head or screw may cause injury.
Another great benefit of trees is that they provide shelter for the horses on hot or rainy days - and trees are just awesome in every way!” (We absolutely agree with Marie!).
“Be aware of the tree species and which ones are horse friendly and which ones are potentially poisonous.
If you don't have the option to include trees in your track system, you can see if you can get your hands on a huge rock, I'm thinking of one like you see in the Asterix cartoon, one that the horses can't move or push around and one that is big enough that they won't try and run into it. Just be aware of sharp corners that could potentially injure them - many horses are pretty talented at acquiring injuries from absolutely nothing.
If a huge rock is not an option either, you can concrete a hardwood post into the ground, just be sure you are not using anything that has been treated with any chemicals as that could cause allergies in your horse.”
Some people invest into a sand pit or sand bath for their horses. However, in Marie’s experience, the horses rarely use it for anything other than a poop and urinating area and are not worth the time and money as the horses will lay down and roll where they feel like anyway.
A taste of freedom and the wild life in a enclosed setting
We have covered some of the basic enrichment ideas that you can easily and affordably create for your horse. We got them moving through different terrain and on different surfaces to get to their preferred choice of browsing or drinking. We have provided shelter and resources for them to get that itch satisfied and we have given them options to choose what they would like to do - this is a small taste of freedom in captivity.
The track system setup is becoming more and more popular as horse owners see how many benefits it provides to the horses and how it improves their quality of life.
If you too got inspired to create a ‘Paddock Paradise Track System’ for your horses with plenty of enrichment, Marie suggests to just sit down and start making a plan first. Write a list with all your ideas and projects and potential costs. Get creative - many of the improvements will cost you next to nothing and they will be invaluable to your horse. You do not have to incorporate everything to start with. You can prioritise and as you get the basics done, you can refine, improve and expand as you see what works best for your horses.
And remember we can always keep learning and should never settle when it comes to the welfare of any of our animals.
Marie recommends these books for inspiration:
Hillery Page: “Modern Horse Herbal”
Jenny Morgan: “Herbs for horses”
You can find Marie on Instagram and get inspired: @paddock_paradise_tasmania
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