06.29.07
On Track in Paddock Paradise
A la Jaime Jackson’s natural horse care book Paddock Paradise, this spring I set up my own version of a track in a small pasture. This field is gently sloping and about 1 acre in size, planted in pasture grass with lots of clover. Before letting the horses into it, I installed temporary electric tape fencing using step-in plastic posts and running an insulated electric line underground to make it hot.
Jaime Jackson’s concept basically is to create an interior walkway or track along the perimeter of a pasture, limiting the horses’ access to grass and encouraging them to move around more than they do when grazing in a large open area. This track is recommended to be no wider than 10-12 feet; if it is too wide the horses won’t walk around it as much.
His and others’ observations report a significant increase in the horses’ movement around such a perimeter path, as they search for new grass, water, mud or sand baths, shade, pea gravel, salt licks, wood piles, and other variety of interests which you may have laid out for them. The theory is to simulate more natural conditions in attempt to get domestic horses to mimick wild horses’ behavior patterns, who travel about 20 miles daily on paths criss-crossing their range.
Lower end of track inside 1-acre pasture, along woodline; our track is 10-12 feet wide for 3 horses, Jackson says up to 15 feet wide.
Some people have made their tracks by grading the grass off of them, making rocky and hardpacked areas to assist the natural hoofcare of barefoot horses. I didn’t do any grading, but after a while the horses took care of most of the grass and the dirt has packed down in spots. Some people feed out their hay in small piles around the track. I have used my track mostly as a holding area between spells of allowing them into forage grass. The center of the pasture, which they are barred from much of the time, is divided by temporary fencing into two grass halves which I let them into for a few hours at a time, and manage separately by mowing the weeds after they have grazed each half down.
Horses walking around perimeter track; their access to the lush grass in the pasture center is controlled and limited.
When confined to their track, my horses DO move around it a great deal, always searching for better grass. There is not much variety on my track, just upslope and downslope, dirt and mud path areas, a water tub, and 3 different sections of trees (which they chew and scratch on.) Also, the horses always have free access to return to the barn as they wish, and their path back to the barn is hard packed and somewhat rocky. I cannot yet say if their hooves are maintaining any better, but they seem to be staying shorter this spring that last. I do still have a few spots of pea gravel plus a run-in shelter with pea gravel next to the barn. They seem to be keeping a better fitness level on their own too; our horses have 24/7 turnout.
This perimiter track is a convenient way to limit horses’ grass access and to manage selective grazing. It is quite helpful for limiting one horse’s grass on the track (your easy keeper) while giving the other horses better grazing inside the center; this way the horses don’t have to be separated by long physical distances (which really upsets some horses.)
With a second water tub inside the grass center, I can leave them setup this way for long periods, while being cautious about buggy dusk times on hot days. My horses can get quite agitated when the gnats and mosquitoes are really bad, and I wouldn’t trust them not to run through a temporary tape fence if the bugs got horrible; they would be dying to run back to the barn for some bug shelter and dust bath breaks!
So I would positively say, if you are seeking more natural horsekeeping and have the capability, give the paddock paradise track a try. It is sort of a misnomer, because I’m sure horses would consider it more of a paradise just to stand around grazing lush grass all day– but your horses could well be healthier for limiting their amounts of grass and getting them moving on track!
See Jaime Jackson’s book that started it all, Paddock Paradise.
For related stories, see:
barefoot
turnout
paddock paradise
Barbara Astone said,
March 26, 2009 at 1:13 pm
Hi,
We also have woods around one side of our field, and I’m wondering if you’ve found it necessary to fence off the woods in addition to fencing off the inner part of the pasture to make the track. If not, do your horses find their way into the woods as well?
Also, how tall is your temporary fencing? Most of the posts I see are only 48″, with only 40″ above ground — seems a little short to me, so I thought I ask how you’re doing it.
Your area looks so much like our own, and I’m thinking about making a track too. Thanks!
Tony Gauvain said,
June 27, 2009 at 1:13 pm
I want to create a pea shingle surface to a paddock I have measuring about 22X42 sq m. My soil is clay and at present has grass etc growing on it. Can anyone please tell me exactly what gravel/shingle I need, what is the correct name (pea shingle, pea stone gravel etc)? Are there different sizes, if which is best? What needs to be done to the ground first? How deep should it be? What quantity do I need? Any recommendations for suppliers and contractors? I am in Surrey.
connie said,
November 18, 2009 at 1:57 pm
Hi Barbara
Yes our horses get into the woods wherever we don’t fence them off. Mostly we fence them out, so that they won’t eat all the trees in the wintertime. Our horses are part beaver and chew the bark off almost all types of trees: their favorites in order are sugar maple, ash, other maples, poplar… their last choice is oak and pine. Have never seen them chew birch.
In the summer I don’t care if they go into the woods, they are quite good at picking their way around rocks and deadfall. We keep a large section fenced off all the time though because it is a wetland, and not because we are afraid they might hurt themselves in the woods.
In winter the track serves to keep the horses away from the trees around the edges, because we rearrange it to only let them into the center. We will allow them to reach a few trees which we plan on being our firewood for the next year, because they kill whatever they can get to, stripping the bark all the way around as high as they can reach.
OH, the temporary fencing is about 4 feet, all I’ve ever found either. It is adequate in summer, but when snows build up in winter it is marginal at best. We have to unbury it out of the snow at times– as long as they can see it they are unlikely to cross it, but when it gets buried into the snow they will walk over it to get at the trees!
THanks for commenting!
Nora said,
June 12, 2011 at 5:48 am
this is SUCH a good idea!! i’ve never coem across this before! thanks!