A landmark study exploring different grazing management systems has shown that track grazing is an effective way to manage equine obesity, which is a serious threat to horse health.
The research, which has been carried out by equine welfare charity HorseWorld in collaboration with the equine department at Hartpury University, monitored 19 horses at HorseWorld for four months.
The horses were split into two groups: one group was kept on a track grazing system while the other group lived in traditional restricted grazing paddocks. As well as recording their bodyweight, the horses’ hoof health, body condition score and behavioural measures were also monitored.
A reduction in weight
The research showed that those horses that were kept on the track systems lost on average 3.4% of their body weight while their herd-mates in traditional paddocks gained an average of 1.5% of their bodyweight over the period of data collection.
It was also noted that the horses who lived on the track systems showed no negative impacts on their behaviour and their hoof health and general welfare scores remained consistent.
“We are thrilled to share this research. Equine obesity is a major welfare concern, and this research provides reassurance and insights for anyone considering how best to manage the welfare of obesity-prone equines in their care,” said Sarah Hollister, head of equine welfare at HorseWorld.
This was the charity’s first ever peer-reviewed scientific paper.
HorseWorld has been using track systems to manage the bodyweight of horses in their care for over a decade and recognised that very little scientific research into their effectiveness had been carried out.
Charity support
“We’re proud to support the incredible work of HorseWorld by funding their track system,” said Amy Angus, head of charity and community for the Pets Foundation, who gave HorseWorld a grant to create their track system.
“This system improves the wellbeing of the horses in their care and has been shown through their subsequent study that track systems directly tackle equine obesity. We’d like to say a huge thank you to all of the supporters who made this possible by donating to the Pets Foundation.”
The study, “Tracking the Track: The Impact of Different Grazing Strategies on Managing Equine Obesity”, is available to view here.
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