Could a track system transform your horse’s health and happiness?
- Riikka Kemppainen
- Jul 30
- 4 min read
When we imagine horses living their best life, many of us picture open fields, endless freedom, and plenty of movement. But the reality for most horses today is very different: it's very common to see horses living in small paddocks, with limited turnout, and often many hours spent locked inside a stable. Unfortunately, these are all routines that don’t truly support the horse's innate physical or mental needs.
If you’ve ever wondered whether there’s a better way, you’re not alone.
One of the most effective ways to support a horse’s natural instincts and overall wellbeing is by creating a track system. While the idea isn’t new by any means, track systems are now gaining more and more exposure, with owners all around the world (and from all walks of life) realising just how many benefits this way of keeping horses can offer.
Why consider a track system?
A well-designed track system encourages your horse to move more, and explore and interact with their environment, much like they would in the wild. Instead of standing still by a hay pile all day, your horse is motivated to walk from one area to another to find food, water, rest spots, and social interaction.
And movement, well it's is essential for so many things:
Healthy hooves (especially for barefoot horses, but shod horses too!)
Improved joint and muscle strength
Better digestion and weight management
A calmer, more balanced mind
In short, a track system supports the whole horse - its body as well as its mind.
But where do you start?
Designing a track system can feel overwhelming at first. How expensive is it going to be? How wide should the track be? Where should you put the water and shelter? What if your land isn’t ideal for a track system?
These are all really valid questions, and that’s exactly why we created our Track Systems for Hoof Health short course! It's a deep dive into all aspects of designing a track system that works well for you and your horse.
Track system design in a nutshell
It's possible to create a well-functioning track system, regardless of your budget, skills or size of the land. In all aspects of the track design, you can choose options that are feasible for you.
How and where to build a track
Being able to assess the area you have available for a track is the first step. It determines how big your track could or should be, which in turn affects your decisions about what kind of fencing to set up, and other things too.
Did you know that you don't have to have your track surfaced? The world is full of unsurfaced track systems that work perfect well! The decision of "surface or not to surface" depends on your finances, but also the planning regulations and general conditions of the land you're using for the track. There are other, non-permanent options (such as mud mats) that you may want to consider, especially if you don't own the land that you're using.
Selecting feed, water and rest areas
This is the most important aspect of track systems for horses - it's the very reason why we use tracks, rather than large open paddocks. So knowing what the best places are for feeding areas, water troughs, and resting places will help you create a track where your horse thrives.
The idea of a track system is that the horse will automatically moves as much as possible during their daily life. This is possible by placing the water and food (hay) far from each other. In an ideal world, there is one place for drinking water, and hay is drizzled in small sections all along the track, so that the horses' natural food seeking behaviour causes them to constantly nibble and move from one small hay pile to the other.
And whilst horses do not sleep for several hours at a time, they do need resting area(s) where they feel safe and comfortable enough to lay down for their REM sleep. By observing where your horses' currently like to snooze, will help you determine where it might be best to place the resting areas on the track.
Track maintenance
Even the most amazing track system will drive you nuts, if the daily maintenance is impossibly difficult. So when planning a track, think about how you will remove the manure from it, and how often this will need to be done. For example, if your track is on a hill, it's probably best to place the muck heap at the bottom rather than at the top. Of if your track goes through a wooded area, you won't be able to poo pick there with a machine, so be prepared for some manual labour.
Our course covers the above, and lots more, in way more detail - so if you want to gain the skills and knowledge to set up a track successfully, check our the full course details here.
In addition to the practical teachings of the course, we also show you real-life examples of different kinds of tracks. These examples prove that no matter your land size, budget, or climate, a track system is possible.
Learn from 15 years of hands-on experience
I’ve been keeping my horses on a track system for over 15 years now. I’ve learned (sometimes the hard way!) what works and what doesn’t. In that time, I’ve also helped many other owners design tracks that suit their horses’ individual needs, their own resources, and the realities of their land.
The course combines this experience with practical barefoot hoof care knowledge, giving you a holistic approach that focuses on real-world solutions, not just pretty diagrams or idealistic theories.
Ready to take the first step?
If you’re curious about creating a more natural, enriching environment for your horse (or if you’ve been dreaming about a track system but didn’t know where to begin) this course is for you.
For just $59 AUD, you’ll get lifetime access to all the lessons, photos, videos, and practical tips you need to get started (and keep going). You can learn at your own pace, revisit whenever you want, and start making changes right away.
Your horse deserves more than a boring paddock. They deserve a life full of movement, exploration, and joy - and you deserve to feel confident in creating it.
