Tracking up

Track systems have become popular in recent years as a way to manage overweight equines and offer a more enriched environment. Stephanie Bateman looks at the pros and cons and how best to set them up

AN inventive way to manage grass consumption and increase movement, track systems are continuous fenced loops that sit around the perimeter of a paddock. They can vary in size and length, and as well as providing basic food and water, they can offer enrichment in the form of sheltered “loafing” areas where horses can sleep and relax under cover, with scratching poles, sand areas for rolling and mud mounds for climbing up. The number of horses on the track depends on the size, but the idea is that horses are turned out on the track in herds, promoting a more natural lifestyle.

Lauren Johnson’s Graveney Equine was one of the first commercial track liveries in the UK and she has since created an online community to share her experiences.

Lauren’s track is home to around 20 horses. Set over six acres it includes a large open barn, a pond, various sand and gravel pits where horses can gather and rest in groups, and several loops of tracks. As a barefoot trimmer she specialises in rehabilitation but offers livery to horses whose owners are looking for a more natural way of life too.

“There are so many benefits to track systems,” she says. “The obvious being that we can offer a transformative, species-appropriate lifestyle, help rehabilitate those who would often spend months on box rest and help manage metabolic disease and obesity.”

Lauren has also undertaken many behavioural rehabilitations and seen improvements when horses have a less “stressful” lifestyle.

“One of the most discussed drawbacks with track systems is making them work all year round,” Lauren adds. “They often require some form of surfacing to make them successful through winter.”