CHALLENGE 4

HEALTHY TURNOUT

The more opportunity your horse has to move around, the healthier all his systems will be---his hooves, digestive system, lungs, joints and even skin all benefit from movement. But living on a small acreage with limited turnout can make movement a tall order.

What you can do: Think outside the box when designing turnouts.

• Use temporary fencing to change the configuration of paddocks from time to time. At some small farms, a perimeter track within a paddock is used to encourage horses to be more active. By placing hay and water at various “stations” along the track, horses are encouraged to keep moving, even though the actual distance might be limited. You can even create various surfaces along the track, sand in sunny spots for lying down and resting, pea gravel for better hoof quality or little log jumps to make things interesting.