Making tracks

Could moving away from conventional grazing systems help weight management?

- Dr Tamzin Furtado

WITH equine obesity at alarming levels in the UK, managing weight is becoming an important part of everyday horse care. Traditionally, weight management is achieved through stabling, muzzle use, increased exercise or the use of “starvation paddocks”, but some owners are seeking methods which do not restrict their horses’ access to the “three Fs”: friends, forage and freedom.

A survey of UK owners conducted last summer explored the use of alternative grazing systems, not just for keeping weight under control but also for reasons such as the management of arthritis and behavioural issues related to stress. Each option aimed to provide enriched turnout areas, where horses can live in groups and access a range of low-calorie forages.

It is important to note that no one system was a panacea for every owner; all have their pros and cons, highlighting that any changes should be considered on an individual level. These innovative ideas provide food for thought, however, for welfare-friendly weight control.

ON THE MOVE

TRACK systems allow horses access to a track created around the outside of a paddock. Resources such as water, hay and shelter are placed at different points, to encourage the horses to move in order to access them.

Tracks may cross multiple fields and are sometimes dotted with features, including hedgerows for foraging, different terrains (sandpits, streams or steps, for example) and enrichment such as scratching posts, herb gardens and flavoured water stations. The centre section can either be cut as hay or left as standing forage for winter, or managed with Equicentral principles (discussed later).