Back on track
DESIGNED TO ENCOURAGE movement and restrict grass intake, track systems (sometimes known as Paddock Paradise) are circular or continuous loops created using fencing around a field. With various ‘stations’ on offer, such as netted hay bales, a barn for shelter, sandy areas for rolling, and mounds for playing on, track systems not only encourage activity, but they also provide enrichment in a more natural environment. And when it comes to overweight or hormonally imbalanced horses, they can be a great way to manage waistlines/conditions.
The tracks, meanwhile, are either made up of earth or grass, or are artificially surfaced with sand, gravel, or concrete, or a mixture. During the drier months, an earth track system works well, but come the winter when it’s wet it can be a different story.
Alyson Sharpe runs PB Barefoot Rehab and Retirement Paddock Paradise Livery in Staffordshire with her daughter, Maddie, son, Lewis, and husband, Julian.
“Winter does put people off having a track system because it’s cold, it rains all the time and, for 90% of equine owners, that means mud,” she says. “However, for owners of horses with laminitis and
