Tag: equine enrichment

I’m a big fan of Paddock Paradise (PP) approaches/philosophy, in that I understand that the modern domestic lifestyle doesn’t suit a lot of equines and a PP approach can be a good compromise. It’s not perfect either, but it comes a little closer to how equines evolved to live. It gets people thinking in the right direction. It’s often better than the improved pasture, boring handkerchief sized, private (individual) type paddocks we put them in currently.

Horses evolved to move, live in a herd, seek food and water, firmer ground when it was wet and moist ground when it was dry. They moved, often many kilometres, with the seasons and the demands of reproducing, surviving and thriving.

They didn’t stand in mud or in a small yard with strangers and bicker over hay nets. Domestication did that to them. WE did that to them.

But we are trying to make it better for them. We are learning and evolving, just as they did, from small furry multi-toed animals living in forests, to the beautiful majestic hard hooved animals we see today.

Therefore, when it’s suggested that horses are designed to live on soil and in winter, in mud, I’m skeptical. Did they really evolve to live on just soil and in mud for months at a time? I don’t think so. Is this a problem we all battle with, yes definitely and a PP system can help with this. But to suggest that this is a good idea, I’m kind of skeptical. Didn’t they evolve to live and walk on various terrain and we know they like to avoid mud, it slows them down, can be dangerous and can cause health issues. This isn’t what they evolved to live in for months at a time.

We have to ask ourselves, who is saying these things? Is it an ethologist well qualified to speak on these things? Or is it someone’s opinion? I’m not saying it’s bad or evil by any means. My horses had to live this way for a while because the alternative was much much worse, it would mean they had to live on grass that caused obesity, hoof problems and potentially laminitis. So I chose mud, until I could do better.

But I never celebrated it or suggested or promoted it to people as a good thing. That’s where we need to be careful. It’s also important to point out that one person’s mud is another person’s idea of a pretty good deal for their horses! It’s very subjective!

I recommend questioning what you read and what you hear. Think about and even google, how horses evolved, where they lived and thrived and what domestication has done to them. Not a lot of domesticated living is pretty or good for the horse, so beware.

We are all doing the best with what we currently know, and as we learn more, we do better.

Question your sources of information. Horses were designed to travel over a large variety of terrain.

(Pictured, the mud I used to battle and now, the variety of terrain on my partly surfaced PP system)

Fantastic words that encapsulate the approach needed, from PP fb group member Emma:

“my biggest learn . . . . is making sure I embrace flexibility, observation, and keep my mind open to the changing needs of the horses and the land!

What I initially implement is just a framework to build on and change as needed.”

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What I recommend when starting out and this is simply a guide, don’t set anything permanent up that you don’t have to in the beginning. Set up temporary fencing, step in posts and solar or battery charging and then look at where the water runs, where it drains well and where it doesn’t, what type of soil, grass, plants (weeds), trees you have, where it’s windy and where it’s sheltered, where does the cold wind predominantly come from, where do the horses prefer to sleep, roll (can be separate places) and where they run, where can you plant more trees, put in drains, utilise existing fencing, etc.

Then set up water and hay stations as far away from each other as possible. Where is there access to power or will you need to utilise solar, do you need to build shelter and you can then capture water in a tank. General rule of thumb is a width of one meter per horse plus an extra meter for turning. The more narrow, the more movement and less grass. The wider it is, the more grazing and lingering will happen. Always allow more room in the corners, especially if you have horses who like to gallop and avoid dead ends if not all horses get along 100% of the time.

Do you have machinery and/or a system for collecting, storing, composting and distributing manure and for carting hay?

Let paddocks rest, slash regularly and observe safe grazing times of day and year if your horses do tolerate grass. Consider cross grazing or cutting hay if you have enough acreage or if you’re keen and the area is small, you can cut it by hand as a treat for your horses.

Set up something temporary and just keep changing it and tweaking it til you’re happy. Experiment and let your horses and donkeys tell you what they like and what they don’t like. During that time set aside funds for possible mud control/surfacing and drainage options.

Try to ensure that there is various kinds of enrichment in your Paddock Paradise. Equine enrichment means adding or changing their environment with different substrates and terrain, social interaction with their own species and also other species, sensory experiences such as essential oils and herbs, providing puzzles and toys to fulfil their need for mental and physical stimulation and provide opportunities for contrafreeloading as well as offering a variety of foods to browse, taste and explore. Contrafreeloading means that many species choose to ‘work’ for their food, rather than have it just served up to them. Giving them opportunities to enjoy species specific behaviour will ultimately contribute to their overall health and wellbeing.

Remember that the basic ethos of a Paddock Paradise is to attempt to replicate the conditions that horses evolved to live in over the millennia.

“Just as nature provided what is best for the wild horse, Paddock Paradise is an attempt to replicate those essential factors that naturally create physical, mental and emotional well-being.”

(Jaime Jackson)