When we keep an animal in a zoo, we try to give it some of the elements of lifestyle it would have in the wild. Herd life, freedom to move, a natural diet and anything that encourages natural behavior. For some reason we have drifted away from this model for horses. Although not wild, our domestic horses still do best when we move toward a natural model of horse keeping, and not a traditional one.
movement
Movement is key in natural hoof and horse care. Not only is it essential for healthy hooves, but it is intrinsic to the nature of the horse to keep moving. As Jaime Jackson, one of the founders of the natural hoof care movement discovered, wild horses move up to 20 miles per day. Does this mean we need to move our horses to 700 acres? No, it just means we need to pay as much or more attention to this aspect of horse care, as say we do to the choice of vaccine or the wormer we use. In this picture the domestic horse enjoys movement on natural feet.
diet
In the wild the horse eats little and often. We can respect this by using slow feed hay nets, and feeding primarily grass hay for increased roughage and low sugar.
terrain
In recognizing that wild horses do well in dry, rough, mountainous terrain, we need not seek out lush pastures for our equines. Picking their way over hilly, rocky, dry ground is natural and will contribute to hoof health. The old paradigm of a horse kept in deep shavings, confined in a stall, and protected from stimulating ground must be overturned. As prey animals, the horse is most confident when not restricted. As comforting as a cozy room is to a human, an open space is to the horse.
respecting nature
We can enjoy our equines in a domestic setting even more when we respect how the equine evolved. Not to serve us, but to survive and thrive as a species in a certain setting. We should give back to the horse as many natural elements as we can.
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