Making hay decisions on a cost per kilo basis
My track system has been running smoothly for a while now. Feed routines settled, horses happy, costs predictable. Then, in the space of a few weeks, three things changed at once – none of them my idea. It started with fuel. Conflict in the Middle East sent diesel prices sky high, and that had a […]
Does the new guy always start at the bottom?
For a couple of years, I had the same two horses living on my track – a mare called Melody and a gelding pony called Beau. The gelding was here first and was dominant over the mare. He would push her off her food and corner her if the mood took him. He never hurt […]
From bush to bucket: How we can support Brumbies and station-bred Walers love of adventurous eating
The wild-to-domestic transition In Australia, more and more people are bringing Brumbies and station-bred Walers onto their semi-rural/suburban properties to use as riding or companion horses. Horses that grew up in a wild/semi-wild environment may look the same as horses born into a semi-rural environment, but there will be some differences, particularly where their diet […]
Things you can try to reduce hay waste
Hay is an expensive resource, but when you don’t have as much grass as you need or your horses can’t have grass, it’s a necessary one. Ask five different people for their advice on what and how to feed, and you’ll probably get ten different answers. I don’t pretend to have all the answers but […]
“What’s the plan, Phil?” – Developing contingencies for horses with grass-related issues
The Modern Family connection Our family loves the sitcom Modern Family. One of the three families central to the story features Claire Dunphy and her husband Phil. Claire is a neurotic, control freak, whereas her husband Phil is a lovable idiot. One of the classic quotes from the show comes from Claire when, frustrated by […]
Culinary courage: Could diverse tastes build braver horses?
The science behind the intuition As it is for humans, change is a constant in the life of virtually every horse. They will routinely be expected to cope with new situations, adjust to new people and get along with new horses, often with nothing in their life up to that point to prepare them for […]
Benefits of Horse Track Systems in Fire-Prone Areas
What is a Horse Track System? A Horse Track System is a potential layout for an equestrian property as defined by Jaime Jackson in his book Paddock Paradise: A guide to Natural Horse Boarding. The concept has grown in popularity all over the world, for its advantages in managing the growing number of horses with […]
Is it possible that traditional stables and paddocks are no longer the best option for our horses?
Imagine you bought a ride-on lawn mower to cut the grass on your property. Provided you serviced it every now and again, there’d be no reason to think that it wouldn’t keep running for ages with no issues, would there? If it did keep breaking down, you could keep fixing the broken parts or you […]
What is a horse track system?
The what, when, why, where, who and how The what A horse track system is a style of horse keeping and property management that’s gaining in popularity around the world. The design of the system is based on the natural movement patterns of horses and almost every other browsing/grazing animal of the African savannah, compared […]
The Maths of Unlimited Hay
DISCLAIMER: This article is written from my perspective as the owner of two horses used for pleasure riding. It’s not intended to be taken as a recommendation for every horse, combination of horses or owner’s situation, rather, a different perspective on a subject that most owners have to think about to a greater or lesser […]