Track System (Pasture Paradise)
What is a track system? FRIENDS, FREEDOM and FORAGE
A track system, or Pasture Paradise, is designed to increase horse movement by utilizing a herd setting where horses can find strategically placed hay, water and enrichment sources along carefully selected aggregate surfaces that are devoid of grass or pasture. This is important because grass can be too high in sugar for many horses, especially those that are inulin resistant. Horses move and rotate around as needed to seek these stations, strengthening and stimulating their hooves as they walk over the tracks aggregates. The movement is primarily generated by the herd's alpha who 'pushes' the herd along the track. Motion is one of the most effective ways to reduce insulin levels in all horses, particularly those that are insulin resistant.
Our track herd consists of horses with a history of founder, laminitis, Cushings disease, Navicular Syndrome, and healthy sport horses. All benefit from a forage-based diet with combined ESC and starch levels below 10%, as recommended by the Equine Cushings and Insulin Resistant group.
***For the safety of the herd, we do not allow shod horses on our track. However, many of our horses -- especially those recovering from founder and laminitis -- rely on the support of hoof boots and/or glue-on composites as part of their recovery.***
Friends
The herd setting is extremely beneficial to horses, as they are highly social animals that need both physical and emotional interaction with their own kind. In a herd they gain a sense of security, unity, and belonging. Our horses do not exhibit vices such as cribbing, weaving, or stall kicking thanks to the calming influence of the herd, a mentally stimulating environment, and the availability of hay through slow-feed hay nets at all times.
Freedom
All the horses in the herd have the freedom to move about the track and seek out food, water, enrichment, and mentally stimulating stations. They enjoy the freedom to take advantage of our huge sandpit, scratching stations, shaded areas under our shade sails and run-in shelters, as well as the opportunity to groom each other, stand under our misting station, or simply munch on hay. They can freely explore the track in a mentally stimulating environment, enjoying the comfort, safety, and stability of their friends.
Forage
The staple of the herd's diet is hay. We procure hay that is wet chemical tested (as less expensive NIR tests can be off by as much as 30%) to ensure it has combined ESC and starch levels below 10%, as recommended by the ECIR group. Flakes of hay are placed inside soft, netted, slow-feed hay bags that are available to our horses at all times. These bags are designed to be soft, reducing the risk of harmful damage to our horses' lips, gums and teeth, which can be caused by cheaper, abrasive nylon hay bags. The slow, steady flow of hay from these bags helps prevent insulin levels from spiking and keeps ulcers naturally at bay. Horses' stomach acids never turn off and their only defense against these gastric acids is chewing, which naturally produces bicarbonate to neutralize them. Horses deprived of hay for more than four hours are at risk of developing stomach ulcers. Our hay is professionally balanced and any needed supplements are administered via a soaked 'carrier' that also has combined ESC and starch levels under 10%. Horses are fed the soaked carrier and supplements twice a day at ground level to reduce the risk of choke.
***For some of our horses that can tolerate grass, we do allow them to occasionally strip graze during the safest times of the day and season.***