NATURAL MANAGEMENT
THE IDEAL: Rolling hills, acres of pasture with our horses happily grazing in herds 24/7, the ideal for our horses with no doubt! But what about those of us who are not so lucky to find the facilities to do this?


Many of us rely on finding good livery yards and most have to manage their horses within certain restrictions, others may be lucky enough to have their horses at home but still have limited space or facilities.

Does this mean that we cannot improve living conditions for our horses or that we cannot strive for as natural management practices as possible?



Whilst we may not be able to keep our horses ideally (or in the situation they would prefer!!) we can do much towards improving the quality of the life of our horses and move as closely as we can to meeting their needs. By recognising and providing for our horses as holistically as possible we can guarantee positive benefits both mentally and physically.

Sometimes with even small changes we can make a huge step for our horses welfare and well being, a horse with holistic management will not only be happier and healthier but will be able to perform better!


THE HORSE'S NEEDS: Some people are put of by the high demands of natural living and many feel their horse couldn't cope (TB's for instance) but by meeting your horses needs there will ultimately be less stress for both of you!

Doing it properly takes work, commitment and education and it should not be seen as either the cheap or easy option but as meeting the needs and fulfilling the requirements of your horse.

The extent of going natural is up to you, your horse and what you can provide, the closer to the ideal the more benefits for your horses well being you will reap, but whatever your situation you can make steps towards a more healthy regime for your horse.


IMPLICATIONS: When compromising the horses natural environment there are ultimately going to be consequences both mentally and physically. On so many yards we see an abundance of various stereotypical behaviours (stable vices), we see colic, navicular and other man made problems, which are not seen in naturally kept horses.

These problems are as a result of management practices (and can go back as far as a traumatic weaning), which over the years have developed to suit owners and have now become accepted as the norm.

By understanding the benefits of making more appropriate choices we begin to question accepted standards and look at how we can make positive change that benefits your partnership.


Current accepted practices include:

  • Long periods stabled
  • 3 "meals" a day
  • Cereal based diets (limited forage intake)
  • Restricted turnout (often none in the winter)
  • Single turnout
  • High use of chemicals

Yet horses are:

  • Nomadic by nature - designed to be moving constantly

  • Trickle feeders - large meals compromise the digestion and stress the stomach which in an average size horse is the only the size of a rugby ball!

  • Designed to process a wide variety of forage which meets their nutritional needs, the digestive system doesn't cope with cereals or the molasses and other nasties often found in these feeds

  • Prey animals with an instinct to run away to survive, their whole body is geared towards movement and escape - not being able to do so compromises mind and body - look at wind sucking, cribbing, weaving, box walking, arthritis, azortoria, colic as examples

The list could go on but even here we can see how the horse is compromised and how it creates inappropriate stress on the mind and body.

HOW CAN I HELP: My aim is to help horse owners identify how they can make positive change to keeping their horses as naturally and holistically as possible. I work with the owner and we consider each individual set of circumstances, explore all the options identifying the appropriate and work towards creating a balance between the horses and owners needs. By viewing the whole we can aim not only to address existing problems but also to prevent future problems.