Tracks

Someone asked me about our track system, and I promised a post which didn't appear last week - apologies!  I've pinched an illustration from "Feet First" (I'm allowed to because we have the copyright!) and the tracks are round the outside, forming a border in this picture. 

The tracks are essential to the rehab here, because they encourage movement, keep horses comfortable, and allow them to hang out together, play, groom each other and just watch the world go by.  From an aerial view it looks like this...but on the ground its a bit more interesting...

There are lots of ups and downs, twists and turns...

...and of course lots of haylage. 

Despite that, its not a big area, and its been carved out of waste land which was no good for anything else.  We've spent a lot of time and effort improving drainage and surfaces...

...and over the years we've tried shillet, pea gravel and woodchip...

and they all have their uses, but for the rehab horses, there is no question that pea gravel is the most effective and the most comfortable. 

Our own horses aren't really bothered, of course...

...as long as they can still discuss things amongst themselves.

Although they look idyllic in summer, the tracks can be quite a challenge if we have a heavy snowfall,

but even then the horses seem to prefer being able to move around and find things out for themselves - and of course without shoes, the snow is no problem.

...but the minute the weather is really unpleasant, they all make for the barn, rugs or no rugs!

Hard to believe that a few months later it can change from the Arctic to archetypal English countryside...

The other massive benefit of our tracks is that they give me somewhere to turn out during the day which is much safer than lush green fields during the Spring and Summer.  The horses on the track have ad lib forage, but its haylage not grass.  There are also hedges, which they like to browse. 

Despite them thinking that the grass is greener, I don't think they have it too bad...