5 common mistakes made by new track system owners

Deciding to build a paddock paradise track system brings with it much excitement and opportunity. Contrary to popular belief, track systems are adaptable to properties and land of all sizes, and can be built on a budget, with limited resources and unsurfaced if need be.

Building a track system and ultimately providing a new lifestyle for your horses can also be a little overwhelming when first getting started.

Here are the most common mistakes I see new track owners making and why you should avoid them:

1)      Too big, too soon.

Many owners approach their track system build with the idea that if you have 10 acres of land, you must build your track system over 10 acres of land. Whilst larger track systems present the perfect opportunity for further movement and development later on, rushing into an overly-big track system right away may cause more issues than it solves.  

The first year of having a track system is very much a year of adapting, experiments, failures and successes. Often or not, there are holes in our plans that don’t make themselves known until our horses are already using the track system through different seasons of the year. Sometimes, areas that we thought our horses would use don’t work or function as intended, and normally, particularly in unsurfaced track systems, the rainy months prove rather challenging without forward planning.

This isn’t to say you can’t have a large track system, just that it may be wise to establish a smaller track system first that you know works in the desired way before expanding.

2)      Track width!

It can be a difficult balance and a fine line getting your track system’s width right. Typically, I recommend 1 metre per horse as a rule of thumb, but it’s important to take into consideration your herd and the vision you have for your track system.

Too wide and you’ll have a very difficult time keeping the grass at bay, which interferes with the actual function of the track itself by removing the horse’s need to go from hay station to hay station. Too narrow a space and you’re more likely to cause tension in the herd by forcing them upon each other, with little room to move freely and turn.

Generally, we think of narrow spaces as stretches of track to encourage movement and wider spaces to encourage relaxation, play or foraging. A good combination of narrower tracks (still going by the 1 metre per horse rule) and wider loafing areas and hay stations should keep the grass at bay and the herd happy.

Click here to check out my blog post on how to build an unsurfaced track system for more information!

3)      Perfecting the track layout without thinking about lifestyle.

Building and managing a successful track system requires much more than just the track itself. Whilst getting your layout right is important, it shouldn’t be your only focus.

For your track to prevent common equine conditions, facilitate optimum health and wellbeing and fulfil your horses’ needs as intended, you need to have an understanding of how diet, hoof care, herd living or companionship and enrichment impacts your horse and your track.

All track owners or trackies-to-be need to read Jaime Jackson’s Paddock Paradise book, which I recommend is followed by his Natural Horse & Laminitis books.

4)      Having unrealistic standards.

The paddock paradise concept has undoubtedly been life changing for many horses and their owners. With that comes a certain expectation on how the track should function and what results to expect.

However, many owners fail to realise that a track system is only as good as the owner’s understanding of them. As a first time trackie, you need to approach your new track system with the understanding that you will inevitably run into issues along the way, and it will take some time to get all the kinks ironed out. This doesn’t mean that your track system isn’t going to work, just that it’s your first time doing something and who gets something 100% perfect the very first time they do it? If ever?!

Keeping an open mind is a vital part of being a track system owner; it will often challenge your former beliefs and thoughts and push you to learn more and more as often as you can, just for good measure. Don’t expect results immediately and more importantly, allow your track system to grow. You don’t want to quit before your track has even had chance to function properly.

5)      Half in, half out.

The owners who seem to struggle the most with their horses living on their track systems are the ones who cannot commit to one single thing for any length of time. Sometimes it’s a case of being unable to let go of former or out-dated beliefs, whilst trying to use a track system. Other times it’s simply not giving a horse long enough to adjust to something, changing the track constantly or altering the diet every other day.

For a track system to be successful, it needs to be accompanied by a species appropriate lifestyle. Without committing to giving your horse a species appropriate lifestyle, whilst simultaneously using a concept designed to specifically do just that, you’ll most likely still experience health struggles with your horse or simply won’t achieve the goals you had in mind.

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If you'd like to learn more about all things paddock paradise track system and natural horse care, don't forget to grab yourself a copy of Happy Trackin' Magazine, available digitally and in print.