Our horses endure a vast array of modern management practices that whilst they may make our lives easier, can cause considerable stress to the horse resulting in a reduction in their overall well being. Ideally, all horses should be living out 24 hours day all year round, in reality most horse owners are not able to achieve this.
One of the main problems is a lack of (suitable) grazing and the need to protect what grazing we do have, but there are many steps that can be taken to keep your horse as close to natural as possible within the restrictions that you may have. If sufficient land is available, the most important step you can take for your horse's mental and emotional well-being, is to throw the rugs and clippers away and turn him out all year round. This may cause you "inconvenience", but your hairy, muddy horse will be a healthier, happier horse. A freshly clipped, clean horse may save time, but we have all seen the emotional repercussions of this for our equine friends.
If you do have to stable your horse, try to open the stables up as much as possible, allow contact with other horses so they can enjoy essential mutual grooming. If possible, allow free access to a yard so your horse can wander in and out of the stable freely.
Modern pastureland in the UK is on the whole very suitable for rearing fat cows and sheep quickly, but is highly unsuitable for horses. The use of artificial nitrogen over many years has created vast expanses of land that simply don't suit a horses nutritional requirements and fails to recognise the toxic side effects this can have on horses. Such unnatural pasture causes a range of problems, including Laminitis and grass sickness.
Wild horses seek out a variety of herbs and plants to supplement the diet and rough grazing is infinitely richer in nutrients than the rich green short grass we're used to. Unfortunately this type of pasture is very hard to come by. Around 30 years ago, many horses in the UK enjoyed up to 50 different types of grasses, along with wild flowers and herbs: Perennial Rye Grass, Meadow Grass, Creeping Red Fescue, Soft Rushes, Sheep's Fescue, Tall Fescue, Timothy, Cocksfoot, Early Rye Grass, Natural Clovers, Yarrow, Dandelion, Chicory, Comfrey and Burnet are just a few examples. Many of these plants play an important homeopathic role in the horse's body. Nowadays, a great deal of pasture has as little as four different varieties of grass. If we could return our horses pasture to something resembling the meadowland of a few decades ago, our horses would reap the benefits as would the environment and wildlife.
Perhaps you could add some nutrient rich plants into an existing hedgerow, or even develop a new one: Rosehips, Hawthorn, Brambles, Mint, Wild Garlic, Chamomile, Meadowsweet, Comfrey, Cow Parsley, Thistles, Burnet, and Yarrow are good examples of plants that your horse will love and provide a natural source of important vitamins and minerals.
Most pasture would benefit from a soil analysis to assess its suitability for horses, and will help the process of restoring a suitable pH and soil profile, very often your local farmer's merchants can arrange to have your soil analysed.
Always choose organic fertilisers for your pasture, this protects your horse and the environment from toxic chemicals, there are a variety of natural and holistic pasture products available including seaweed. Recycle your horse manure, it is a valuable resource. By efficiently recycling, viable compost can be obtained in 6-12 months.
