YOUR HORSE’S CARE TURNOUT | TRACK SYSTEMS
EQUESTRIANISM’S SOCIAL LICENCE to operate is increasingly in the spotlight, meaning that there is a clear responsibility for all owners and riders to meet recommended welfare guidelines. While this magnifying glass is often held over training techniques, tack and injuries, is there something missing? Horses spend most of their day not being ridden or trained, and how they spend that downtime is equally important to their welfare.
Horses evolved as trickle feeders in herds with a social structure and yet stabling them away from their friends is the norm in many livery and competition yards. Is an individual stable with a few hours of turnout a day — perhaps alone, perhaps with a friend — really meeting a horse’s needs? And could letting horses be horses, even if this means employing creative management techniques, reap unexpected benefits?
Owners may have spotted a push for people to adopt species-appropriate care based on the three Fs…
■ Friends
■ Forage
■ Freedom
Developed by equine behaviourist Lauren Fraser, the three Fs state that horses should be turned out in a herd to develop social bonds, have freedom to move and make choices about when and how they eat, and be fed a predominantly forage-based diet. One approach
