Weight loss, enrichment and more – science backs up benefits of track systems for horses

A new study has provided evidence and backed up previous thinking on the benefits of track systems for equine weight management.

HorseWorld and Hartpury University have published a peer-reviewed paper in scientific journal Animals looking at the impact of different grazing strategies on managing equine obesity.

The work was carried out at HorseWorld in Bristol, where 19 horses, “all susceptible to excessive weight gain”, were observed either on a track or on a traditional paddock, both designed to restrict grass intake. Welfare indicators including hoof health, bodyweight, body condition score and behavioural measures were monitored.

The key findings were that between July and September the horses kept on the track lost an average of 3.4% of their initial bodyweight, compared to those on the paddock, who gained an average of 1.5% of their bodyweight. The body condition score (BCS) did not show significant changes between the groups, suggesting that BCS “may not be sensitive enough to detect subtle equine bodyweight changes”.

The researchers concluded that the study found “clear evidence that horses susceptible to gaining weight in the summer can be managed effectively utilising track grazing systems; reducing bodyweight during a summer season while maintaining hoof health and general welfare”.

HorseWorld head of equine welfare Sarah Hollister told H&H HorseWorld has been using track systems since 2013.

“Anecdotally we know that track systems are good for helping horses with weight management and we’ve seen positive results in our horses, but we wanted to get some evidence to tie in with our strategy of using evidence-based methods,” she said, adding that no negative behaviours were observed from the horses on the track system during the study.

“It’s not just about weight loss, tracks can be used to provide environmental enrichment, too. Instead of a small square paddock, when you make a longer track you can spread their food and resources out so they’ve got to go and look for it and move around.”

Ms Hollister hopes that by having evidence to back up what has previously been thought about tracks, more people will be open to trying them.

“Equine obesity is probably the biggest problem in the equine world in the UK, and the secondary issues that being obese for a long time can create can have a lifelong negative impact and can even be life-threatening,” she said.

“The results show that there are benefits from a track and some horses thrive on it. While it isn’t going to suit everybody’s set-up, if it can improve your horse’s wellbeing, it’s worth giving it a go.”

Hartpury University senior lecturer Lorna Cameron, who worked on the project, told H&H the work was about “answering the questions that need to be answered”.

“To be able to answer questions the industry wants answered is a really important thing in equine welfare research at the moment,” she said.

“There are lots of people interested in utilising a track system, but the evidence has been thin on the ground, probably because of how much it would cost to set up a track system as a controlled experiment, so we felt lucky that HorseWorld asked us to collaborate on this.”

Ms Cameron added that what works for one horse may not work for another, and said it is important to take advice from professionals such as the vet and farrier.

“It’s very much about the individual horse, no one thing works for every horse, but our findings suggest that track grazing systems can effectively help manage bodyweight in horses prone to obesity, while maintaining their health and welfare,” she said.

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