Track Systems

There seemed to be enough energy on the other thread to start a thread - so trackies, skeptics and wanna-be trackies, here’s a place for us!

I wanted to address cost, because someone mentioned it - our track system was mostly pre-built (we had dry lots built of chat/bluestone/pea gravel) and our layout was condusive to just narrowing the fenceline. A lot of what I see people doing is just putting a second layer of electric fence on the inside of a paddock with step-in posts. Then people use a variety of materials from rubber mats to sheep’s wool (not a material we tend to have a ton of here) to firm up the footing in muddy areas.

I wish mine were surfaced the whole way around, but we’re looking at renting a bobcat for a few days and just doing it ourselves. The material isn’t terribly expensive and it doesn’t necessarily have to be flat. We had the gravel area re-graded and new chat put in last year and it was sub $10k. I don’t think I’d re-grade again as our rain washed a lot of that away, so now I’d like to just rent the bobcat and add new chat ourselves which would save quite a bit of $$. Picking the track daily really helps.

The dangerous thing about the paddock paradise, or track system, is that you’ll constantly be looking at and envying people who have beautiful picture-worthy systems like femkedoll and looking at yours wanting to create new enrichments and other projects. There are some that have put in really neat rocky areas for them to pick through, which I haven’t done for fear that the TSTL horse who will be coming home soon will find that before he adapts to track life.

The other dangerous thing about it is then you’ll start to wonder why you have a huge empty barn haha! In all seriousness, we do still use our stalls to feed and to keep them in when the farrier/vet/other body worker is coming. We also do use them in tornado-type of weather because our barn is concrete block and built into a hillside while our communal shed is…less well built.

Originally I thought that the only place it could really work was somewhere like the southwest, but track systems really seem to have caught on in the UK, which is where they have what I would consider the least suitable climate for making it easy to create.

Anyway - questions, ideas, sharing…I thought I’d start the thread for us to discuss :slight_smile:

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“The dangerous thing about the paddock paradise, or track system, is that you’ll constantly be looking at and envying people who have beautiful picture-worthy systems like femkedoll and looking at yours wanting to create new enrichments and other projects.”

I get your point, so I’m here to tell others: You do the best you can, with what you have…anything is better than the “traditional” way.

When I bought my farmette in 2015, I didn’t have the money to do an “official” Paddock Paradise/Track System. So I modified it to fit what usable land I do have (about 4 acres out of 10) and, you know what? It works!

Picture a giant Upside Down U.

–On the left side is the paddock. About an acre long and 100 yards wide. That’s where the Waterer is, along with a wee patch of nibble grass, trees, dirt, sand & small rocks.

–In the center of the upside-down U is a connecting path across a drainage ditch that’s only wet when it rains (see pic above, as Mr. ChocoMare II works to improve said ditch’s ability to drain.) That ditch is pure dirt, sand, rocks of assorted sizes and concrete pavers. This leads up a small incline to the back paddock, which has another wee patch of nibble grass and a 12 X 12 run-in. The loose-salt tub is in that run-in. (They Hay Hut was given away shortly after this picture was taken.)

–The far side of the U is a huge covered run-in / feed room combo, with a concrete pad covered in stall mats (there are more mats now than the picture shows). That’s where we put the round bale, in a Hay Chix super small-hole net, in an elevated round-bale cradle. Some people may say that the round bale = too much standing, but having observed them now since that change was made in 2017, I can attest that it does work.

image

My vets praise my system and my horses’ condition & weight every time they visit for the once over/teeth/COGGINS etc. Especially the mini donkey I have. She came to us at about 300 pounds! She’s since lost 120 :wink:

So like you said, STOP COMPARING what you have to what others do. You make the system work for you, your land, your horses.

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Yes - I wish I could handle round bales (I don’t have a spike thing for my tractor) but I do have a trough that I put loose hay in from the squares. I have not yet rigged a net for it (so I do have some wastage) because I have a horse that pops zip ties for fun (no idea…he also removes t-post caps), and I haven’t found a solution yet that he can’t undo.

I’ve noticed that they come and go from the trough quite a bit - and they take turns. Bossy horses go first, then they decide to go meander and get water or go to the lick or other hay stations, and the less dominant horses go second.

I do think putting the water a distance from the hay helps.

Love your setup!

Thank you!!

I don’t have a traditional spike for the round bales, like most folks. I did invest in this for my Kubota:

When Mr. Chocomare II and I were dating, he put the mix of water & marine antifreeze in my tractor tires so I have sufficient ballast to counter-balance the front of the tractor with a 750lb-ish round bale. LIFE CHANGER!!! This way, we are facing forward, it’s sturdy cuz of the 2 big tines and makes life soooo much easier.

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Glad you started a thread for this. I’m just starting out and have a paddock where I’ve blocked off the middle with step in posts so the horses have to walk the long way around between the hay feeder and water. I’ve started clearing a track in the woods next to the paddock and need to fence it. It’s slow progress this time of year with the short days.

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Short days definitely make it tough. There are some days that I just go out to assess the next project because I know it will take too long for the daylight I have.

But it’s a great time to plan and dream!

Not to derail the thread and said in the most gentle way possible - please please consider getting a different hay feeder. My lovely baby (4yr old) got her leg stuck in that exact feeder and mostly severed her leg at the fetlock with the exact set up (netted roundbale). She was euthed that day. She did not paw, was not an overly rambunctious horse (turned out with one other senior horse). It can happen with any horse (and there are reports of it happening to other horses online) and the $1k for a hay hut is nothing compared to losing my previous baby in the most horrific way possible.

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I’m so very sorry.

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So sorry to hear that and I appreciate the counsel. We’re going on Year 3 with this set up, no pawing at the rack ever. Bronwyn, my 16.2 Percheron/QH cross mare, however, is a bulldozer - She just leans her chest into the rack and shoves it wherever.

We were with that set up for two years before she died. No pawing ever. I still don’t know how she ended up stuck, but she wasn’t a one off. I hope you give it more thought. I know it’s easy to think it won’t happen to you (g) or it’s a lot of money to “waste” but it was truly the most horrific thing I’ve ever witnessed, never could have imagined, and is preventable by getting rid of said death trap.

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Rather than getting rid of the hay rack all together, could you maybe just put some plywood around any areas that they could put a leg through?

I have a small track set up on 1.5 acres. It’s really just an enlarged dry lot in a track shape. Great for getting them to walk around. But if they want to run, the footing is loose sand and they are safer in a pasture. It gets quite muddy after rain so I just plan on turning them out after rain storms.

My track is quite narrow so I try not to put more than 3 horses on it at a time.

The other issue is grass growing on the track in the summer and then they eat it and dirt as they pull it up by the roots. That’s definitely a concern as they are ingesting dirt. Even with hay they are going to destroy any grass they find on it.

Fireweed is another common problem (heartleaf nettle). It’s pretty prolific stuff and hard to eliminate. It takes over the barren areas and right about now is the time I don’t go out there without boots. It’s even growing by the house… Terrible stuff.

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I made this hay feeder a year ago. Added a gate to the front and put no climb wire around the sides. And add a hay net on top.

You can see my old hay holder behind it.

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What are folks doing with their stalls given that they get so little use with a track system? My barn was originally a workshop that had two stalls added to it to make it work for horses. I need to do some repairs and take out one of the stalls and am considering whether to put it back in afterwards. Currently one stall is empty and the other used for hay storage.

I am thinking it would be nice to use that space as a grooming area. But I also like having the option for stalls in case I need one for an injury or extreme weather.

I do have a nice big open 36x16 shelter and could also add temporary dividers there to create a temporary stall if needed.

If you very rarely stall, you can always keep panels on hand to make an emergency stall. You’d have to plan a little in advance to set it up (ie, a pop up thunderstorm you’d be a little screwed) but it isn’t undoable! Maybe design it so all you need is the one panel for the front

Or leave it a stall, but stick some crossties and removable shelves in it for the grooming stuff.

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Yes panels might be the way to go and give me the most flexibility in terms of whether to set them up inside the barn or under the shelter.

I like the idea of setting it up so I would only need to put one up.

My stalls get used to feed and in inclement weather. I have a senior, a flake, and two super pigs so separating them makes sense to feed. I did try feed bags but the bully was still harassing the others with a feed bag on his face so I gave up on that one.

I’m glad to have the stalls in weather like this (ice then dropping well below 0 with wind chills). I know most horses would be fine but these are formerly pampered show horses who are still adapting to track life. I also like the comfort of knowing that if someone was injured I could have them in without issue.

Does feel kind of silly 3/4 of the year though.

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It was me who wanted a track thread. :grinning: @Alterration didn’t you have a cool diagram you put up on the other thread?

And yes to @ChocoMare - my vets also praise track systems.

I plan to keep my stalls available for horrible winter storms like now - give them respite and pull blankets for a bit. And in summer when the bugs are horrible and they stand under strong fans.

But…otherwise I’m all in on building a track system. I have one started inside one of my turnouts and it’s gone OK. Really need a surface because I’m on clay and they whip around it sometimes and I’ve seen a few slips.

I could kick myself back when I built and put in my fencing because I chickened out last minute and didn’t do a track around the 4 acres like I’d planned. I saw people online say negative things and I didn’t know anyone with a track.

Well, yes, like anything you have to do it right. Encouraging movement, the right horses together, a track wide enough, surfaced if possible where you need it.

I’ve spent soooooo much time on the Horse Track Systems group on Facebook with nearly 70k members and people all around the world putting up videos of their tracks.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/808480805889892

There is a podcast and hearing the stories of success and mistakes made so the rest of us avoid them.

What we know about a track done well, is horses moving more means better feet and bodies. Healthier tendons, muscles, lungs and their mental state.

And for those of us with metabolic, PPID, PSSM horses not being on grass OR moving more to get the insuling down so they CAN spend time on grass (still muzzled) seems it would only HUGELY help the situation.

My big dream is to surface and track a good portion of my property (26 acres) and eventually board a other horses who need a track life. It’s all a big expensive experiment but I’m hell bent on doing it.

And here’s a Facebook post about a presentation just made at Equitana and it contains links to other information.
From Innate Equine:
Here are the links from our presentation at Equitana on Track Systems & Paddock Paradise…

Track Systems / Paddock Paradise Presentation LINKS

Paddock Paradise Book - Jaime Jackson https://naturalworldpublications.net/collections/books-by-jaime-jackson/products/paddock-paradise-a-guide-to-natural-horse-boarding

Innate Equine FB page - https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100066985262230

Equine Friendly Online Plant Store - https://www.innateequine.com.au/shop

Gutzbusta Slow Feed Hay Nets

https://gutzbusta.com.au/?gad_source=1…

Aus/NZ Paddock Paradise & Track Systems https://www.facebook.com/share/g/1CbWA3rfQK/

Track Talk - A Podcast on Horse Track Systems https://open.spotify.com/show/6k4dVUxOHZVMtOVE2cUvZb…

Horse Track Systems https://www.facebook.com/share/g/1ArngAxbjx/

Horse Track Systems Book - Amy Dell https://amzn.asia/d/3xPX0UY

Happy Trackin Magazine https://www.happytrackinmagazine.com/

No Bored Horses: Essential Enrichment for Happy Equines book by Amanda Goble https://amzn.asia/d/f0lehAv

Amazingly creative track system from the Netherlands https://www.instagram.com/brinkerhoeve_emst?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet&igsh=ZDNlZDc0MzIxNw==

AANHCP (Association for the Advancement of Natural Horse Care Practices) https://www.aanhcp.net/pages/welcome-to-paddock-paradise

Thankyou to all who contributed photos & videos from all over the world! 🙏

Jaime Jackson - USA

Athen Herd Foundation - UK

Gin Tomlinson - UK

Blaire Gude - Aust

Karla Plantak - Croatia

Dyanna Keymer - Canada

Kelli O’Connell - Canada

Amy Louise - USA

Rose Annison - Scotland

Jill Willis - USA

Irene Heemskerk - Netherlands

Katharina Henselek - Germany

Julia McDaris Cooke - UK

Dharma Horse Rescue and Sanctuary - USA

Harriet Lawton - UK

Missy Pore - USA

Simone Rank - NZ

Sandy Forbes Taylor - Aust

Aubrey Schmitt - USA

Frances Hughes - Aust

Na Di He - Aust

Cindy Dumaine - USA

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And I will add, growing up our horses were not stalled and we showed. Their coats glowed in the summer. They had a sparkle to them mentally and no lameness. As an adult and boarding I was horrified at the long long hours my horses stood in stalls. And then came the soft tissue injuries and other negative health consequences of stalling for long periods.

Back 30 years ago I moved to full turnout but it was very difficult to find a barn with an indoor and other luxuries. Once I moved my horses to full turnout I knew I had to get back to that life for them. Yes, it’s more work really and during bad weather it’s more intense, but their health is so much better.

I even have a neurotic mare I adopted years ago. She stall weaved and even walked a fence. Once I got her home and it was up to her if she was in a stall or not all her neuroses went away.

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That’s a good point. Right now I have a good dynamic for feeding communally but that is always subject to change. That said I do have a smaller paddock section in my dry lot so can separate if needed for feeding without having to restrict to a stall.

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Yes! On both counts!

Our track is just a simple ovally square that goes around our acreage. It was already fenced into paddocks, so I just strategically eliminated/open and close gates to change it.

It is not huge, and mostly surfaced at present. They do go around it, mine just don’t whip around it much unless something spooks them - maybe because they are all pretty mature? I have noticed more movement now that I’ve added the “dingbat” horse into the mix (I love him, but mentally stable he is not), which is actually a good thing.

I do only use one of the two troughs at a time. I have them both there, but in the winter I mostly use the one in the back because it’s directly under a hydrant, and the other one requires a hose. I prefer the placement of the “front” trough (not sure why I call it that really) because it’s a bit of a bigger hoof to get there for them most of the time, since they like to camp around Feeding Station #2 more than Feeding Station #1, but either one is really fine.

I do a LOT of picking of the lots, because with 4 horses and this small of an acreage it would build up too fast. I used to just scrape it into piles and then scoop it with the tractor but my tractor has been down for awhile and it doesn’t fit under the one gate that has a thing over the top of it. I will likely move to a smaller ATV or mule because that’s just handier.

I think it’s really an ideal system for small acreage. Because it’s a loop like this, it almost acts like an endless field. And there are plenty of places to hang enrichments from. I have noticed that over time, they’ve started to explore more, which is interesting behavior. I’ve also noticed that the dynamics of the herd have become more friendly to each other. Even “dingbat” is mostly accepted into the herd for naps, and he really wasn’t before.

Yes, if they’ll handle being paddocked easily that works great. I have paddocks if I close gates, but getting the horses segregated and then bringing the feed to them was kind of a pain and caused some anxiety, and bringing feed buckets out to “lure” them was dangerous. They line up at the barn when it’s time to come in to feed, and walk right into their stalls without much guidance (with the exception of one horse, who likes to explore the barn), and I dump feed, go reload hay nets and turn back out, so it’s not terrible. They might be in there for an hour or so on a “I’m really slow” kind of day.

My stalls also are laid out so that they can touch each other and hang their heads out, and they are all 21’ x 10.5’ so they aren’t in a little cube, which makes a huge difference. They were 10.5’ x 10.5’ and I took the middles out to make them double stalls. Even if they have to be in, that’s a significant amount of room.

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