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. 
@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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Would you be willing to take us on a tour via video and post it? Your layout looks so diverse and interesting. All the gates are such a great idea too.
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Yes! I need to do that when we’re not under a foot of snow (otherwise it just looks white which is considerably less interesting 
It’s not as romantic as some of the beautiful places but I am aiming for something like femkedoll when it’s all done!
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Ok that makes sense. Who is femkedoll? I don’t know that name. Someone here on this board?
Ok yeah, have never seen her website. Looking forward to checking this out.
And, I have to add…the pressure I feel to get a track system going for my PSSM mustang dude…is also the idea that he once roamed a HUGE HUGE area in the Bighorn Basin in WY. We know these horses move on average 10 miles a day or more. So, while I offer him a big dry lot of 40 x 200 and daily roaming my weeeeee 4 acres of turnout, he often looks at me like…“Is this it?” I do take him out on my property but mostly, most of his day is spent on a tiny area.
So more than ever I feel like I want him moving all day long. And know it would be so much better for him AND getting off grass would be better. From what I understand, most PSSM horses do better off grass mostly.
And my PPID mare is like playing Russian Roulette having her out on grass - even muzzled. Her insulin was still at 43 last year and she shows signs of problems. She would crest, she even developed a protracted sole. God she needs a track system to move more, get her insulin even lower and NOT be on grass except a few hours muzzled.
Just sayin.
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Oh I feel that pain deeply. Results for us so far have been really positive.
My fatty fatty mcfatterson ASB who was becoming metabolic has lost weight since being on the track. He seems to enjoy heading everywhere at a brisk trot.
My elderly DSLD gelding with arthritis is so much more limber. He walks a fair amount.
The herd bully still bullies everyone, because he’s had resource issues in the past (he came from a lesson horse string and I think he had to fight for hay) but he’s stopped biting everyone.
And the dingbat is much calmer, even though he utilizes about 1/2 the track most of the time because he’s scared of the front of the property and the back of the property. He will go but he tends to go rather quickly. He’ll get there, he’s not used to being outside at all so he tends to want to stay near the barn more than the others.
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Your observations inspire me sooooooo much. 
This is new to me and an interesting subject. I’m just curious. I’ve never seen this manner of horsekeeping. How wide is the usual track and how do you keep it from becoming just dirt, or is just dirt OK?
Usually it’s about 10-15’ wide. The way mine is varies from a corner at more than 30’ wide to 10’ at a pinch point. I have wider loafing areas which I like, but I’m sure that has an impact on movement. Mine is half dry lot surfacing. I don’t have too many issues with mud because that’s not where they hang out. Some people will lay a central mat or just surface the wear paths.
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If you’re on Facebook there are some amazing videos of tracks around the world.
Horse Track Systems is the group.
Here’s one gal who posts and has quite a track system:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/808480805889892/user/100003518218643/
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The days are getting a touch longer and I was able to spend a few minutes clearing brush for my planned track before I ran out of daylight. I have a little more to do and then I will start putting in some T-posts to give the horses access to the start of it.
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I’m not on Facebook , but thanks for answering all the same. 
Following this thread with rapt interest! The track system is a new concept to me. This is such a wonderful idea to plug into the total biology of horses!
Question: The one caveat is that the track system seems to wall off the best grazing. Blocking the horses’ access to it. Grazing is the best nutrition and lifestyle for horses (depending on what’s growing). Of course they don’t need to graze 24/7, but it’s good if they have some daily hours for grazing.
How can the track system give the horses periodic access to grazing, then keep them moving, with another grazing stop later? For stretches of time moving, nutrition stops, grazing, and moving?
Thanks for all of this horse-centric information! 
So, most metabolic horses can’t deal with grazing, so we don’t do it. Our feeding stations are slow feed hay nets. We supplement omegas to make up for the lack of grass.
Many people save the inside of a pasture for a few hours of grazing for horses that can handle it. None of mine can.
Along my fence line, to the inside, I am planting different browsing plants for my horses. The pipe fence protects the plants a bit. They love to browse what is there, and seem to avoid anything that would make them sick.
My horses never run out of hay, and that makes it not the cheapest thing in the world. But even DSLD can be linked to Cushings so I am inclined to believe that more modern horses suffer from metabolic disease from rich grasses and feeds than not. That’s just an opinion based on my observation and interpretation of research.
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