Could track systems be the key to giving our horses the best
life? A track system, also known as a
paddock paradise, is a loop shaped paddock layout
originating in America, designed to mimic the natural nomadic
lifestyle of horses in the wild. Instead of a traditional square
field where horses might stand still and graze in one spot for
hours, a track system uses fencing to create a pathway
around the perimeter of the field.
They're usually filled with enrichment activities to keep
horses mentally, physically and emotionally healthy.
Graveney Equine Track System livery in Kent was one of the
very first track systems to be built in the UK and it won the
Livery Yard of the Year in 2024. The owner, Lauren Johnson, is
known for providing A holistic, science LED approach to natural
horse care and has a following of over 22,000 on Facebook.
So could track systems be the best environment for our
domesticated horses? Let's find out why Gravenny
Equine came out on top. Lauren, welcome to Curious
Equestrian. Hello.
Lauren, as one of the first track systems to have ever
reached the UK, how did that come about and what inspired you
to? Start with this one of my crazy
ideas. Yeah, I, I basically, I, I
bought a new horse, as you do. I'd been out of the horse
ownership game for a little while and I finally bit the
bullet and bought myself a horse.
You know, it was totally under my control.
No, no parents contributing anything like that.
And I quickly realised that she had a problem with her feet and,
you know, I've got the farrier involved.
And he suggested a couple of things.
So she was only two years old at the time and he wanted to put
shoes on her. And I just thought this, this
feels just a bit, you know, a bit much for a 2 year old that's
going to be essentially just, you know, plodding about in the
field for the next few years. I looked into it more and more
and I started to get just like really overwhelmed and terrified
to be honest about, you know, the conversations I was having
with farriers and they, they, they were talking about doing
resections and putting resin in, you know, in holes in the hooves
and stuff. Essentially she had cracks, toe
cracks on all four feet. And I kind of essentially had to
bite the bullet. I booked in a farrier and he was
going to charge me something ungodly like £800 to come and do
resections on all four feet, fill it with resin, shoe her
with a, you know, a magical shoeing package.
And at that point, I was like that that's my only option at
the moment. As you do well, as I do in these
situations, I kind of turn to the Internet and spend hours,
you know, typing horse hoof cracks, hoof cracks on horses.
What shall I do? Like I literally went down this
wormhole and I came across, I didn't come across track systems
at that point, but I did come across barefoot trimming.
And the only person I could find in my area was, was a lady who
was actually just into retiring. So she, as lots of people in the
profession had ended up with a bad back and she was moving out
of the profession. So I thought, you know, I've,
I've kind of missed my chance with that.
But then I actually stumbled across a girl who was just in
the process of training. So she wasn't fully qualified
and she said, you know, I'm actually looking for case
studies. Perhaps, you know, if you don't
mind funding my petrol, I can come and use your horse as a
case study. And I thought 20 pounds, £800,
let's go, let's go with the 20 LB version.
First she came out and it was like, I mean, I literally just
sighed then because that's how I felt.
It was like just a night and it literally was like a hard
moment. She, she, she stood there and
she was like, this isn't actually as big a problem as you
know, you think it is. This is, this is based around
the way she's living and the, the diet that she's getting.
And actually, I think that you could probably do something
about this fairly easily alongside trimming, of course.
And she said, have you ever heard of paddock paradise?
And I said, no, I haven't. You know, what is it?
And so she, you know, she gave me a very brief rundown of what
it was. And then she said, there's a
book. Go and find the book.
So, you know, straight onto Amazon.
And I got the book and I read it and I, I've got, I literally, I
can remember where I was sitting as I was reading it because it
was like things were just like cogs were turning and it just
made sense. I've always been, you know, I've
always been an animal lover and I've always, you know, wanted to
provide a nice environment for my animals.
And I remember specifically my dad, who has always been a
massive, you know, animal advocate himself.
I had pet rabbits growing up, and we had quite a big back
garden. And I remember him saying to me,
if you're going to have these rabbits, like we need to give
them a good life, not just shut in a hutch or with a little run
space. And what he proceeded to do was
essentially dig up the entire back garden and put tunnels
everywhere, popping up into little runs that were like
little satellite runs all over the place.
And there was this just click of that is exactly what my dad was
trying to achieve for my rabbits all these years back was giving
them a, a species appropriate lifestyle.
Like they, they want tunnels. They want little bits of grass
And I was like, I, I didn't really, I didn't really
understand how I'd kind of missed joining up the dots
myself. At that point in time.
I was lecturing. So I, I worked at one of the, EU
KS leading agricultural college and I was, I was lecturing in,
in animal welfare and behaviour and nutrition myself.
And it was literally like everything this just jigsaw, all
the pieces fell into place. And I was like, I've got to try
this. I've absolutely got to try this.
And I said to, you know, my now husband, I was like, I had an
idea. And he was like, oh God, what,
what's the idea? And and I was like, it's OK, I
just need a bit of electric fencing essentially.
And he was like, that's fine. I've got an Energizer because,
you know, he's a farmer. So he's got random things like
that sitting about. So yeah, we literally got what
was probably 2 or £300 worth of battery Energizer, electric tape
and posts. And we literally made a track
around A1 acre field. And I still go back and look at
that picture, You know, that we got off Google Maps all the time
because within four months my horse was essentially her
problem was completely solved. That the cracks were growing
out, that, you know, the support from the trimmer and the
trimming from the trimmer alongside her change in the
horses, change in movement and the change in diet.
And I'd gone from looking at a, you need £800 of work done to
your horse every couple of months to someone trimming her
for £20 a month. And it was, yeah, it was like an
epiphany, really. It was.
It's, it sounds a bit dramatic to say that, but it's completely
changed my horse's life. It completely changed my life.
It's incredible. What was it Lauren?
You, you made that link between the rabbits, which is
fascinating as well because I come from a family where my mum
is, has always been such an advocate for rabbits and saying,
you know, it's cruel how we keep them in the UK and across the
world as well, of course, in, in hutches and how, you know,
they're designed to roam just as our horses are.
So from a young age, I too have been, you know, part of a family
that build massive, great big runs for rabbits and, and, and
all the rest of it. When you saw that design of the
track system, what was it that lit up your soul and sort of
thought, I must do this, obviously with your horse in
mind, but what was it that really excited you about the
possibility and the future of the track system at a time where
it wasn't known about in the UK? Yeah.
And that was something I really struggled with because I, you
know, I had a few friends who had horses, but nobody had heard
of track systems at all. And I was, I was kind of faced
with having read about a concept that made so much sense to me.
I was also kind of butting my head up against the wall of
everybody else that I knew didn't really understand what I
what I was talking about essentially.
And you know, why, why are you trying to feed your horse hay
when there's grass in the field? Just use the whole field.
Why are you putting, why are you doing this?
Why are you doing that? And I, I obviously had the, the
kind of the, the selfish personal desire to just, you
know, get my horse better. Essentially.
I, you know, I wanted my horse to be healthy and, and not to be
kind of looking at a 2 year old who had laminitis or, you know,
was written off essentially. So I kind of had that selfish
desire to kind of give myself a challenge and did, did this
actually work? Is this going to work?
But like I say, the putting together what we know and, and
everybody knows about a certain amount about wild horses or
feral horses, because just through osmosis, you learn that
information, don't you? You see horses wandering around
in groups and you see them picking up the, the forage
that's available and you see that they move a huge amount
every day. And I, I generally, I didn't
understand how I hadn't questioned that more urgently
throughout my life. But I think there is a, a
mentality within, you know, people keeping horses that you
just do the thing that you've always done and what has kind of
worked. And I, and I always ponder
whether my horse, if she hadn't have had hoof issues, would I
have done any of this? Would it have clicked or would I
have just kept going? Well, you know, it's, it's
working for her being in a stable and being turned out.
Why would I have any reason to to change that, I guess and go
against the grain. But yeah, when, when I first
started looking into it, there was no, I couldn't find anyone
on social media doing it. You know, I, I looked on Google
and the only place that I could find that, you know, was doing
anything along the lines that I was trying to do was obviously,
you know, Jamie Jackson over in America, but was Rockley Farm
that is a, is a horse rehab centre in the UK.
So I kind of, you know, I, I made it my mission to stalk
their page essentially, and, you know, keep an eye on what they
were doing. And I did actually manage to
link up with another horse owner in the UK very close to me in
Kent, who was setting up a track as well, a small track with the
idea of potentially taking on a few liveries themselves.
And I had the opportunity to to go over to to their yard and
have a look round. And it was just really nice to
make like a find an actual physical person that was doing
the same thing. And it's actually Lisa who I run
the horse track system Facebook group with now, you know, so
that's been going for I think maybe 8 years and we're.
Who I know very well, which is Lisa Williamson Nutley.
Yes, yes, absolutely. Yes, yes, yeah.
And just so you. Make that connection.
I was when was just tell us the year, Lauren that that you were
setting your first track system up.
What year was that? What year are we talking,
crikey? So the very first track system
that I had my horse on just my own, excuse me, personal horse
was 14 years ago. She's 17 now.
So four, well, 15 years ago actually.
And then we set up the track here when we moved in 2012.
Yeah, wow, wow, yeah, 1314. And isn't it amazing how it took
a while to trickle feed, didn't it, to the equestrian world?
Because I remember going to do a piece for the BBC with Lisa and
that was about 8 years ago. And I'd never seen a track
system before in all my equestrian years.
And about 10 years, about 8 years ago, I went out to see
Lisa, who had a retirement livery in Kent and was astounded
at how beautiful it was, how it worked with nature, how the
horses lived in such peace and, and harmony.
Obviously out 24/7 barefoot, you know, the, the serenity on the
track, you know, I think a lot of people might think, wow, you
know, a whole livery on an essentially A narrow track
around a field. But the the absolute serenity in
those moments that it is common peaceful, It's not everyone
charging about and you know, everyone trying to release the
horses, turn out the horses from their stables every morning and
getting sort of caught in the gateway.
There is that real harmony, natural harmony.
And I was blown away. And I can't believe it took that
long for the message to get out there.
Lauren, do you feel the same, that from that moment you you
created your private track for your horse to the moment of
creating your livery, Did it feel strange that it was sort of
only gradually trickling in the equestrian world?
Yeah, it, it felt like we were essentially walking through mud
for, for quite a few years with, with getting the word out.
And I remember, you know, going back to the, the track system
group that was set up on Facebook for the first good few
years, you know, we, we got a few thousand people joining and,
you know, there were some really good conversations going on in
there. But yeah, literally we, we kind
of only had a few 1000 people. And then suddenly probably maybe
3 or 4 years ago, there was a massive explosion in the growth
of the group. I mean, I know personally and
there there's a few other livery yard owners as well that have
essentially I just, I was like a dog with a bone.
I made it by my mission to try and tell everyone about it.
And I think at first I started doing that in a way that people
perhaps didn't want to listen. I think I was so passionate
about passionate about it that I was kind of like, no, listen,
listen to me, Jack sessions are amazing.
Let me repeat that into you and I, I remember thinking, so
obviously, like I say, I was lecturing at the time and I
thought I've, I've never actually managed to get a piece
of information into a student by shouting it at them.
Essentially, I was like, I need to change the way that I'm
talking about this and the way that I'm giving this information
to people because like, if you're shouting in someone's
face, they're obviously not going to want to listen to what
you're saying. So I mean, I, I've made a
mission to put as much information as I could as
possible out on my own Facebook page.
So just talking about more generic stuff as well, but also
talking about our specific setup and how we do certain things and
how we overcome certain challenges.
But also, you know, we've put a huge amount of time into the
horse track system group and getting conversations going on
there. And I really love going in there
now because initially it was people kind of asking us as
admins the questions, but actually now someone will ask a
question and there's, you know, 20 other people jumping in with
all this is what I've done with my track.
I've found that this has worked really well.
And that is just, you know, like a chef's kiss.
I love it. But also, you know, I've written
for lots of different publications, different
magazines. I've got my own blog post
website as well. And just with the, you know, the
the idea of just pumping out as much information to people as
possible and hopefully in a way that people can understand and
process, but also in a way that is not, there's no point in
accusing people of, you know, you're not looking after your
horse properly. If you're doing XY and Z, you
should definitely be doing this instead.
It's just by showing people the benefits that that we found, you
know, that there's such benefits.
Obviously my first horse, the benefits to her, to her feet and
getting over what was essentially low grade laminitis.
Obviously for me and her that was life changing.
But then I took on a rescue horse who had a lot of
behavioural not issues, but she'd been abused and not looked
after properly. So for her, being with people
was like not a number one priority.
She was very wary of me, she was very protective of herself.
But being able to go out with my other horse and form a bond with
her and yet I try and spend time with them as if I'm part of the
herd. I mean, obviously I'm not a
horse and they know that I'm not a horse.
But if I spend time with them in mindfully in a way that I am
like appreciating their, their mannerisms and their demeanour
and their behaviour. Although they know I'm not a
horse, they can hopefully feel that I'm respecting their
hoarseness and I'm, you know, I'm not offending them and I'm
trying to be part of their, their group.
So it's just it, it's really nice to to see the community
growing and growing and growing. And now when you talk about
track systems, people aren't saying, oh, what's that?
I've not heard of that. They're saying, Oh yeah, my
friend's got a track system set up in her, you know, garden or
my friend's got a, her horse at a track system livery.
That that change in the last few years especially, has been
stark, really. So many questions to ask you,
Lauren, but actually let me quickly ask you, why do you
think there's been a surge considering they have been
around for the last sort of like you mentioned, 10/12/14 years in
the UK thanks to you and Lisa. Why do you think the big burst
of interest has come in the last sort of three or four years?
What answers do you think the track system is giving to
equestrians problems? So I think that's one one of
the, the reasons and I I need to kind of try and process my way
through this. So I don't really miss anything
out. But one of the reasons is
talking about, you know, livery yards perhaps needing to take on
a few more horses to be able to finance what they're doing.
Essentially, track systems are a way of keeping more horses on a
smaller amount of land because obviously you don't have to look
at in, you know, 1 1/2 acres per horse kind of calculations, the
BHS type calculations and suggestions.
You can, you can keep horses on a smaller space as long as
they're still being provided with, you know, enough forage,
enough places to, to rest or to move away from other horses, a
wide enough track that they're not feeling trapped or stressed.
So the parameters are quite different essentially for that.
Another consideration is talking about the the weather extremes
and what's going on with the climate is that we're finding
we're we're facing really wet winter months in some points and
and people are having to completely restrict or say no
completely to turn out. And providing a surface track
system is, is an instant way of, of the horses going to stay out
all year. Now we've we've taken that
stress off completely. I do also think that we are
looking at a population of horses that you know, have have
grown up on what is essentially cattle grass.
So not ideal for horses. It's, it's, you know, it's very
rich and also we we've really had a massive rise in the
fashion for bagged feeds that give horses so much kind of
excess nutrition that they don't actually need.
So people are finding that they are facing the challenges of
metabolic disorders and, you know, metabolic illnesses and
they're having to try and find a solution to it.
And I think just because we talk about tract systems more as a
solution, you know, or help at least to certain problems that
people are realising that that's actually a really valid choice
to make to, you know, whereas in the past, if your horse had
laminitis, it it's a case of boxrest, you know, doing XY and
Z, keeping it in, don't letting it out, don't let it out on the
grass for these hours of the day.
People are now realising that the track system is a really
valid option. And I think that the floodgates
are essentially opening to all of those horses and owners that
are suddenly like, oh, hang on a minute, I can, I can do
something different here. And yeah, I think it's, you
know, a combination of all those different factors, to be honest.
And as you mentioned, an awakening of actually, I can
keep my horse differently. Like you mentioned, you've seen
the light. Wow, Why have I not questioned
this before that horses are, you know, essentially are wild
animals that we've domesticated. They need to be kept more
naturally. I think there has been a great
awakening, hasn't there over the last few years where people are
really seeing that benefit of, of looking at the wild horse,
looking at the the pet horse for want of a better word and saying
actually we need to try and give you a better life.
Yeah, exactly because it, you know, if we look at the DNA of
the horse, it's not it's it remains largely unchanged from,
you know, horses of thousands and years ago.
We haven't we've we've domesticated, but we haven't
changed their their DNA. We haven't changed the
fundamental things about a horse that a horse needs.
So we haven't changed their need for movement.
You know, they they say that they're saying of motion is
lotion because the horses need to move for their bodies to be
healthy, but obviously shut in a stable, they they start to
stagnate essentially. But also looking at the, the
kind of forage that they would eat in a wild situation or a
feral, we technically shouldn't say wild horses because there
aren't really any true wild horses anymore.
But feral horses, you're looking at the, the kind of forage and
the kind of food that they eat it.
It's when you compare it to fields and especially fields of,
you know, what used to be dairy cattle grazing, you're looking
at just super lush, like turbo charged grass and comparing it
to what a horse would eat in the wild.
It's just it's so, so different. And offering hay is, you know,
it's not exactly the same. We can't physically copy exactly
what they would have in the wild, but it's so much closer to
what they would naturally eat. And you just see the benefits.
There are so many benefits to feeding hay as a forage, but I
don't think until you do it and you see those changes, I don't
think you can appreciate how much change into a forage diet
can impact your horse. I really don't.
Can you try and put it into words for us, Lauren?
The changes if you can. I know it's really hard.
I can, I can. Differences in a horse that's on
hay. Just hay.
So, so I'm a barefoot trimmer as well.
So I see a lot of horses other than my own horses.
And I mean, the first real difference is gut health and
everything kind of spans off from gut health essentially.
But to give a forage that so you know, hay as a forage that is, I
hate using the word stable because there's just so many
puns involved in stables and horses, but it's a stable, it's
a stable forage. So it doesn't change on a daily
basis. So when you're looking at grass
growing, if, if it's a bit hot one day or it's a bit rainy one
day or it's a bit windy one day, there's so many different things
that can impact how the grass grows and the health of the
grass. Once you've cut hay and baled
it, it's like it's, it stays fairly unchanged.
Obviously, the, the vitamins in it will degrade slowly over the
course of, you know, 12 to 18 months, but largely it remains a
completely stable food source. Like, you know, how much sugar
is in it, how much starch is in it, how much protein is in it,
how much crude fibre is in it. You can then tailor the rest of
your horse's diet to, to match that hay.
Whereas if you're putting your horse, you know, into a field
everyday, people are doing the, the micromanagement dance
basically. Should I, you know, just take
them out for a couple of hours? Do I need to put a grazing
muzzle on all the different things that they have to
consider? And it becomes quite stressful.
And I know for a fact that people that have brought their
horses to us feel like there's suddenly a huge void in their
life because they've gone from that having to visit their horse
10 times a day and, you know, soaking hay and putting the
grass muzzle on and then taking it off and then bringing them in
and having to muck out extra. They've gone from this really
heavy workload of trying to manage their horse and keep it
healthy to it's just, it's just out.
It's just out there now. And it's kind of living its life
and not needing a huge amount of, you know, input.
Essentially our track is set up so that essentially they look
after themselves and obviously we look after them and we
monitor them. But our input is it is very
different, drastically different and much, much lower stress of
that compared to, you know, micromanaging another, you know,
a horse in and out of this situation constantly.
So you see the changes in a horse's gut because that stable
food source just encourages a really healthy microbiome.
It's not a constantly changing microbiome that's trying to
catch up with a, you know, a flushing grass or a sudden
increase in a certain plant growing.
You know, some sometimes of year you have a massive flush of
Clover, for example, which can really impact the gut.
So the gut is much more stable. But because of that, you see a
massive change in things like hoof health.
So again, I can look at a horse and, and tell what kind of diet
it's on just by looking at the foot and, and, you know, looking
at the hoof and the health of the hoof.
And it's really easy to see which horses are on a, a really
nice stable diet. You know, that that doesn't
change much. And the horses that are turned
out onto, you know, changing grass or they're having to swap
fields every couple of weeks because the livery yard doesn't
want the field to get poached. So you see it absolutely see it
in the hoof health. And although we are, you know,
officially a rehab centre for hoof issues, again, it's the
track and the horses that do the work.
We're we're providing them with the things they need.
But I don't really need to micromanage the hoof health
either. And another thing that people
don't really think of so much is behaviour and how horses act and
react when their gut is in a much more sort of harmonious
balance. And I, I, I will absolutely
shout from the rooftops that obviously there's, there's
behavioural benefits of movement and being on track for a horse's
behaviour anyway. But a healthy gut makes a horse
so much more trainable. It makes it, it just a much
easier partner because everything behaviour wise comes
from a basis in the gut. And I'm not just talking obvious
things like ulcers, which obviously are going to cause a
horse to be upset and in pain and, and misbehave.
But just having that that balance within the gut creates a
level headed, a more level headed and a more trainable
horse. It's absolutely fascinating,
Lauren, and I've got to ask you because one of the things that,
uh, struck me and I'm sure has for everyone who's visited a
track system. And if you haven't, it's
incredibly creative because you'll go to a track and you'll
see sort of mounds of earth where the horse can sort of go
up onto different levels of terrain or areas of sand, areas
of pebbles, areas, all of different aspects that the horse
can explore. And always I'm struck by the
imagination and creativity of, of the owner of the track and
the effort that they put in to create this almost wild and
natural environment for the horses to be on.
So Lauren, can you talk us through your setup and the
different areas you've created and and how you keep the horses
stimulated on the track? Definitely.
So our track in total is a mile long.
So we've got we've got a main loop that goes around the
outside and that was our initial loop that we set up when we
first started the track. And over the years we've added
different sections to it. So we've got the main loop and
then we've got other various little loops off and bits around
the back of the barn now. So yeah, they've got a mile sort
of start to finish of track now, which in itself just offers a
lot of opportunity for them to to pick what direction they're
going to go in and what they're going to go off and explore.
And you do find once you get to know the horses, you, you know,
kind of who to expect where and who they're going to be there
with. So, you know, they're obviously
getting to choose what they do, but also which horses they do it
with as well. They don't move as one big herb
for the entire day. They, they, you know, they pick
and choose who they're going to do certain activities with and
off they go. So we've got our main track and
it's fully surfaced and then we have our main barn, which is off
the top of my head, it's 45 by 90 foot.
So it's a, it's a decent sized barn and it's open to the horses
at all times. We have rubber matting in there
and hemp bedding, so we use Orbios bedding so they have an
area in there where they can go and lie down inside if they
choose to. We then just outside of the
barn, so we have our water supply outside the barn, but we
also have a pond area just outside which we tend to kind of
let that fill and unfill as the year goes on.
We're on clay, so most of the time there's some water in
there, but obviously in the winter it's much higher.
And again, it provides some interest for the horses because
sometimes they go there and it's it's low and it's a bit muddy
and they can have a roll in there and cover themselves in
mud. And other times that, you know,
they're wading in and they're up to their bellies in water.
So again, that provides something different for them.
We have sort of three other main resting areas for them.
So we have a a woodchip pen and, and a lot of track people will
say absolutely like don't go in a woodchip it it can be a bit,
can be a bit temperamental. We made sure we built our
woodchip area on a raised area so it is free draining and it,
you know, it just lasted a lot better.
It fares a lot better if it's on a surface and also free draining
and they really love that because that area catches the
morning sort of mid morning sunshine.
It's a bit of a sun trap so they're often in there mid
morning having a bit of a snooze.
Further around the track, we've got another shelter and that's
where we also have our sand pit area and we've got a gravel pit.
So the sand pit is about 25 meters by 8 meters.
So again, a really big area, enough for several horses to be
in there at once. And the gravel pit, which is
just behind our shelter has again, it's probably about 16 by
10 meters, slightly different shape.
And I was surprised about the use of the gravel pit.
So I, I put it in mainly as an experiment really.
I, I hadn't seen any of the tracks with a gravel pit of any
description, But I do know that laminitic horses or horses with
any kind of hoof pain. So, you know, it would apply to
sort of any kind of navicular pain as well.
Really, really like standing in gravel because they can, they
can kind of find their own comfortable balance.
So essentially I just wanted to like, let's shove it in and see
what, you know, the rehab horses do with it because it might
actually be somewhere that they can go and stand and just get
some real nice deep relief. And it did work for that.
And I did find horses standing at it.
But also the because it's stone, it obviously heats up in the
sun. I would find them asleep in
specifically in the stones during the winter.
So you know, when we have those really sunny days in the winter
that aren't particularly warm, but they are sunny.
They were actually, it was like an electric blanket essentially,
for want of a better description.
And they were like, they were loving it at night time because
it was still really nice and warm within the stones.
So that was something that I didn't, I didn't really even
think about when I first put it in.
It was just a like, it was just a really cool and interesting
kind of side quest that it went on.
But again, it made me really appreciate how especially
because I didn't, I didn't really consider that aspect of
it. It really made me appreciate how
the horses had had their own choices about going
investigating that area and they'd actually found a use for
it that I hadn't considered at all.
And so by providing them with that area, but you know,
hopefully I've, I've increased the, the their welfare, you
know, because they've made the choice to use it and benefit
from it in a certain way. We have, like I say, a big sand
pit and they do use the sand pit, but not as much as I would
expect. They will actually revert to the
stone and the gravel more than I would have thought.
So you know, the balance is probably about 5050 when you
look at it overall. But where I imagine they would
be in the sand pit all the time, actually they they make the
choice to hop over into the gravel instead.
And it also really encourages play because of the noise it
makes. So if they, they get in there
and they have a role and quite often once they, you know, they
get up and the, you know, the stones move under their feet a
bit and make that kind of noise that gravel does, they will just
literally jump for joy. They will leap around in it and
then they'll just like shoot off down the track at full speed
because they're, they're like little excited puppies
essentially. So, yeah, we've, we've got those
resting areas. We've we've got a mound.
So you talked about people creating, you know, piles of
earth. That was one of the first things
we put in because it was a bit like, oh, we've got all this
soil that we've dug out. From the track.
What should we do with it? Let's plug it over there.
So we, it was kind of an accidental feature to begin
with. But again, the horses really
love standing on it and looking out.
So we, we have horses, other horse owners, you know, within a
couple of fields distance from us.
And quite often the horses will stand on the mound and, you
know, just look over at the other horses they can see.
Which, you know, that that really speaks to me of, of, of a
wild horse essentially in its group, in its herd, looking out
and surveying and looking at, you know, the other, the other
groups of horses, the other bands of horses in the area.
That that's really speaks to me of that.
And again, they love just running up and down it like, you
know, turbo charging themselves running up and down the sides of
that. We have a lot of hedgerow.
So we've planted metres and metres and metres of hedgerow
and new trees as well. So they spend a lot of time
foraging their way around as well.
I mean, at the moment there's loads of rose hips and hawthorn
berries that they're really enjoying.
So they they're kind of getting to self medicate.
As well as they go round, which is it's just fabulous.
It's really lovely. Oh, and it's, it must be part of
the fun and the fascination to watch all of this, you know,
once you've spent so many and we'll talk about this as well,
somebody else building and crafting this track.
But then to watch your hard work pay off and to see who picks who
as friends and and herb mates, who dwells where and where they
play, it must be just. I bet you could just spend hours
of the day watching them. Yeah, I do.
Which, yeah, I quite often get a phone call.
I'm just, I'm just popping out to the barn to do, you know, XY
and Z and I'll get a phone call off my husband.
Are you coming back for dinner or?
Oh, yeah, it's it's it's really beautiful.
And it might sound a bit sappy to say, but getting to watch an
animal have autonomy is just, it's a feeling I really struggle
to describe. Because when, when you keep a
horse in a way that takes away the vast majority of their
choices, they become so dependent on you for everything.
Essentially, you know, are they coming to feed me?
Are they coming to, to put me out?
You know, do I need to kick my door to get some kind of
attention? You know, my haze run out.
I'm bored. To be able to put horses in an
environment where they, they can fill their own day with the
things that they choose to it's, it's just, it's so incredible
and it's, I will stand out there and watch them for hours.
And I'm really lucky that actually my upstairs hall window
looks over the track as well. So, you know, I'll walk up the
hallway and have a little, have a little nose as well whenever
I'm up there. But it's lovely.
And I think a lot of people will, and this goes back to, you
know, educating about tracks and talking about tracks and, and
not trying to, you know, ram it down people's throats, but to to
be able to give them a choice and allow them to fill their day
with the things that are important to them.
It, it just makes everything else so much easier.
And quite often we'll have a back and forth with people on,
on the Facebook groups or the pages about some people see a
trackers where you're just shoving your horse out and
abandoning it. And obviously it couldn't be
further from the truth. It's really not about that at
all. And some people say, you know,
my horse is absolutely obsessed with it's stable.
It wants to be and it's stable, it's happy and it's stable.
And so that I say, fine, if your horse genuinely feels safe and
secure and it's stable, open the door.
And if they feel happier in the stable, they've got the choice
to stay there. Like nobody's telling you you've
got to kick them out of the stable.
If that's genuinely where they're happy, they've got the
choice to stay there, but also they've got the choice to not
stay there. And that's kind of the litmus
test for me is if they love their stable, fantastic.
I don't ever want you to shut it out and lock the door and not
let them in. What I want you to do is give
them the choice of whether they want to be in or not, because
they might enjoy it for an hour, but actually after that they
might be like, yeah, I'm done with that.
I want to move off now. Or they might want to sleep in
it all night. It, you know, it's about giving
them the autonomy of making that choice.
And that's so interesting you mention that because it's the
test to see if the horse actually does want to stay in
the stable over over wandering out.
It's also a test for the owner because there is an element of
control, isn't there? And having a bubble around your
horse, if you have always kept it in a stable, it has its
routine. Your horse goes in, you shut the
door behind it. You know, that horse is within
those four walls and is controlled in inverted commas.
And actually, you have to kind of lose that feeling of, of
control. Don't you have to kind of let
that go when you are turning your horse out, you know, 365
days a year, 24/7, or put them on a track.
And I remember conversations years ago of people saying, oh,
but if I turn them out in a massive herd on a track, they're
just going to be wild. And how am I going to go into
that track and get my horse and take out to be ridden if it's
part of a large track? What would you say to that
Lauren, for those who think actually where does the element
of control come from? How do I manage my individual
horse? How can I ride that horse if
it's part of a wider community essentially?
Yeah. And I think so.
I think this is a kind of a multi faceted answer really.
So I think first of all, so if we're talking about say a horse
going to attract livery yard, the person running that yard and
managing that yard has a, you know, a real responsibility for
making sure that the horses are introduced properly and that
they are constantly monitoring the system because every
different horse brings a different dynamic to a herd.
So you can't just say this is my setup, this is the routine, this
is what we're doing for the next 20 years.
Every horse will bring a slightly different dynamic to
the overall herd and someone running a track livery needs to
be flexible enough to to look at what they're doing and say,
actually for the herd in front of me, we do need to tweak a few
things and not just assuming that once you've got a track set
up that you know, you can just kick back and just watch and
everything's hunky Dory. So the track owner has a real
responsibility of being able to introduce horses sensibly, to be
able to monitor what's going on and actually identify where
there are problems and then have you know, something about them
to, to make the changes that are needed to rectify whatever the
problem is that they can see. And you know, to, to be able to
do that, I think, I think every livery yard owner needs to have
a real good working knowledge of horse behaviour and the way
horses interact. Because if you're missing those
nuances of behaviour between the horses, you're you're
potentially missing really important clues for keeping the
horses happy within that environment.
So that that's a massive thing. From the owner's perspective, I
can completely understand that there's a real fear with losing
control of your horses day-to-day management.
And I, I, I genuinely think some people will just never be able
to give up that control. You know, it's just not, not
within them to be able to, to hand that over.
But I, again, I think that that also is a massive part to do
with feeling that they can trust the yard owner to be doing the
right things with their horses. Because if you're not sure about
their intentions or whether they've got the knowledge to
back up keeping horses in that way, then you're not going to be
confident to, to let them take charge and let them take over.
I've had people come to me, you know, enquiring about livery and
you know, they've looked around, they've really loved it and
they've gone. It's just, it's just not for me.
You know, I can see the benefits and you know, it's, it looks
really lovely and the horses all look nice and relaxed, but I
just don't think it's right for me.
And I will, you know, I will say that's fine.
I'm not here to convince you what to do with your horse.
I'm just here showing you what, what this has to offer.
And if it resonates with you, brilliant.
And I will say the majority of those people come back to me
within a couple of years ago. You know, actually, I've, I've
rejigged my priorities and I do think that this, this would
actually work for us because, you know, whereas I'm worrying
about XY and ZI should have been worried about AB and C and, and
AB and C is what you can provide and what I can't provide.
So people have to be prepared to challenge their own, you know,
their current beliefs and their current wants and needs.
And how well do those match up with the horse that, you know,
that they own And, you know, can their horse cope on the routine
that it's been on for 10 years previously?
Or actually, would it really benefit from something
different? And it is something that can be
a bit of a slow burner for some people, to be honest, for a lot
of people, actually, I think it's a slow burner and they they
will come back to it and even making that leap.
And I hope some of my livery owners won't mind me saying this
because I think, you know, I've got a really good relationship
with them all. A lot of them really struggled
in the first few weeks to make the transition personally.
So not, not their horse, you know, the horses tend tend to
just be like, OK, this is the new thing.
We'll, we'll get on with this. But I've had owners that just
can't cope with or really struggle to cope with and
process that complete change in everything.
And one of the main things is that their horse stops needing
them. And coming from an environment
where, you know, say you walk into the stable yard and your
horse is, oh, straight head over the door, whinnying, knickering,
because they're like, oh, mum's here.
Dinner time. Hey, net time, let's go to
turning up to the track system. And they don't need that person
anymore because they've got everything that they need.
And I really have to stress to people that this is the time to
start actually enjoying your horse and building a real bond
instead of like a a dependency, which is is what it always is up
to that point. You know, it's, it's almost like
an abusive relationship, for want of a better description,
where you know, someone's trapped, they can't leave that
situation because you know, the horse is completely dependent on
the owner for, for everything that they they need.
And you know, they all get over it essentially eventually.
But it's really difficult for people to go from being what
they think is the centre of their horses world to realising
that they were just dependent on them.
And now comes a completely different relationship.
But it's it's it's lovely to see that develop when when it's
given the chance to. And so the other thing is just.
Explain. Oh, sorry.
Actually, Lauren, carry on. I don't want to.
I don't want to interrupt that trajectory.
Yeah. Go on.
Tell us what the other thing was.
So the, the other thing that you, you mentioned with how do I
catch my horse on a track, you know, if they're running wild
with the herd? And, and that kind of piggybacks
off the point I was just talking about, because people start to
build a really meaningful bond with their horse.
So the horse doesn't see them as a, oh God, I've got to come in
and have this done or they're going to shut me in a stable and
leave me overnight. Now, you know, obviously horses
don't think quite like that, but people start spending meaningful
time with their horses and the horses don't want to run away.
Like I don't have any horses here that don't want to be
caught. They, they will happily let
people wander in and out and mingle around with the rest of
the herd. And when you bring a horse away
from a group, I mean, we will practice on a daily basis just,
you know, they come into a pen for, for their feed or they'll
come in for a little bit of a brush and they, they just learn
that they always go back to the group.
They're, they're not taken away and stressed out by it.
But one horse in particular that I'm thinking of spent a lot of
time. So it's the sort of horse that
if he was left alone in a field, he would immediately start to,
to get anxious and stressed. And actually, he did really
injure himself very badly jumping out of the field at his
previous livery yards. And then unfortunately, while he
was recovering from having his wound fixed up and, you know,
box rest from that, his yard then had strangles.
So all of the horses were kept in their stables.
And actually, by the time I met him, he'd been in a stable for
the best part of a year. And he was just, everything
about him was agitated, like he was constantly nipping at his
owner. And every time I got close to
him, he was nipping at me. And when when he first came and
joined the herd, it kind of, it blew his mind a bit really.
He he was probably the longest settler that we've had.
It took him about six months to fully integrate into the herd
and for me to be genuinely confident and happy that he
wasn't stressed and that he wasn't then causing the horses
stress by being anxious and stressed himself.
But when his owner comes now, she quite often brings her
nieces and nephews to have a little day out.
And when I tell you this horse pods out of the herd, you know,
being led by a four year old and they just they go for a walk off
across the fields. And this horse does not, doesn't
even slightly stress about the fact it's been taken away from
its friends because it's been part of such a stable herd for
such a long time that he just accepts that he comes back to
it. But also, again, looking at
things like the link between gut health and brain and behaviour,
just having much more settled health has projected onto other
areas of his life as well, you know, so it's kind of the whole
package and lots of little things are at play.
But a horse that couldn't, couldn't be separated from other
horses because he would, he would physically injure himself
to get back to other horses is now in a situation where he can
be ridden by a four year old or led by a 2 year old and be of no
concern to anyone. You know, we're, we're just not
worried about him in that sense anymore.
Wow. And I mean, we can hear so
clearly the wonderful behavioural benefits and
physical, mental, emotional benefits for the horses on a
track system. They can forage the hedgerows,
they're constantly moving, they can relax.
They're, they're not at the mercy of the owners waiting for
them to turn up to be fed. They live a very natural
lifestyle and explain to us, Lauren, how there are extra
benefits to those who need rehabilitation and the sort.
Just give us a few examples of some of the transformations
you've seen of horses with some additional needs.
Yeah, we, I mean we have, we started off as hoof rehab
essentially, mainly because of me doing barefoot trimming.
It was kind of a natural progression to, to move into
that side of things. But as I mentioned with my
rescue horse, who who we saw a load of improvements in her
behaviour and her demeanour from it.
So essentially we, we do hoof rehab now and I, I kind of joke
that we're failed hoof rehab because nobody ever moved on.
Nobody moved on. They came and they, they stayed,
which is amazing because you know, we, we've got people that
have been with us for years and years now and hopefully, you
know, don't plan on leaving. So that's one of one of the
biggies. One of the things that a lot of
people start to look for track systems for another one is
weight management. And you would assume just obese
horses, but actually we're kind of working from both ends of the
scale. So we can have horses come in
that are very underweight and horses that come in and are very
overweight and they can coexist on a track system and they
slowly move towards like the ideal.
And people don't really understand how that happens.
But it's, it's quite simple really if you think about it,
because when a horse is moving and it can be an underweight
horse or an overweight horse. But when it is moving, the right
sort of amount of movement, you know, miles a day that it should
be moving and eating the right amount of calories and nutrients
that it should be eating. And it's like a person, you
know, a lot of people are into their eating plans and going to
the gym and moving their bodies. A horse that is underweight that
has the adequate nutrition to gain muscle and gain weight, a
horse that is overweight is still getting the correct
nutrition to be able to shed the excess weight and again, build
muscle. So they're, they're literally
both heading towards the same thing.
And you know, you can add bucket feeds and tweak the diet
slightly to add a few more calories in if you need to, but
some horses don't actually need that.
They just need the right amount of and the right type of forage.
So weight management is another big one.
The other real main one that a lot of people are looking for is
to deal with metabolic issues. So horses that have Cushings,
which is obviously a disorder that you can't cure, but the,
the sort of lifestyle that they have on a track really, really
supports the challenges that their body is facing.
So, you know, a, a lot of people will talk about that they can
reduce the medication that their horses on if, you know, if
they're on medication for their Cushing's early stage, horses
might actually be able to come off medication completely, you
know, if that's a really nice situation to be in.
But ultimately it is a progressive disease and
generally horses will need to be on medication at some point for
it. But that's fine because the
management still supports the, you know, the certain risks that
having Cushing's presents. Then we've got the horses
without other metabolic disorders, so EMS and IR, so
insulin resistance. And again, this lifestyle is
promoting losing the excess weight that those horses very
often need now. So not all horses with EMS or
Internet resistance will be overweight, but quite often
they've got these awkward fat pads deposited around their body
and then the rest of their body looks skinny.
But again, it's just supporting losing that weight, having a.
A gut that is functioning as optimally as it can be.
And again, the mental health benefits to horses of being
around other horses is like, we don't really know why, but we
just know that it does have such a massive impact.
And, and again, we've had, you know, we've had rehabs come in
where the owner is doing everything.
So, so laminitis, I'm soaking the hay.
So yes, they're not having excess calories.
I'm, I'm giving this correct supplement.
You know, they've got a little paddock.
They're not just in a stable, in a stable all day.
I don't know what else to do. And sometimes, you know,
especially at the kind of beginning of the journey, I was
a bit like, well, they're kind of doing everything.
I'm not really sure what else I can do because I'm going to be
providing the same sort of things.
Obviously they're going to have more opportunities for movement,
but I genuinely believe that the herd just functioning as a herd
just changes their Physiology and it just enables them to get
over that, that hump that's stopping the the healing from
happening. I mean, we know from human
studies that mental health has an impact on your on your
physical. Health and isolation why would.
That not apply for, Yeah. Why would that not apply to
horses and other animals, not just horses?
Absolutely. Yeah, it's, it's absolutely
fascinating to hear that because, you know, you're also
describing my life. I've got some, you know, chronic
laminitics and we've got a mud paddock and we've got various
shelters and stables left open that they can wander in and out
of and then make sure there's no grass in the vicinity and
they're on soaked tape. And we would absolutely love to
make our own track system, but we're at the mercy of, of land
owners that don't want poaching or external materials added onto
the land. So I'm listening to you in awe
and in in great envy as well in that I would absolutely love to
kind of be able to work with the track system on on rented land.
And it's just not doable. But I can totally see how going
that extra mile and having that that track that they can move
across that herd dynamic that you say as well is so healing
since what they're naturally built to be within that.
That is the next stage for those ponies that you feel like you're
doing everything you can, but you can't give that extra step
unless they go on a track. And that is the sort of the
missing key. And, you know, I'm sure there
are so many listening to this as well, Lauren, that are also in
the same boat that think, well, well, I'm going to, you know,
chop down notes. I'm going to ballpark this for
the future in the the hope that one day, you know, we can find a
local track or build our own track on on land.
I mean, you must meet so many Lauren that want to pick your
brains and then find out how to how to build a track.
I mean how? Much maintenance does it take
You mentioned everything you've built and put in, but how much
maintenance does it take to keep it up and running it It depends.
It kind of it goes through peaks and troughets would seem.
So at the moment we are investing in and building new
hay feeders, which you know is is a big thing.
It's, it's not a cheap thing and it's going to take us a decent
chunk of time to, to design with their designs now.
But it's taken a lot of going backwards and forwards on their
design that we're happy with, which is going to provide the
functionality that we need for the hair in protecting the hay,
but also be safe for the horses to to use.
And obviously we have ongoing things with, you know, replacing
fence posts here and there and topping up a bit of surface here
and there. But we're, we're at a position
now where the maintenance isn't overwhelming.
It's just, you know, it just trickles along and we, you know,
we plan certain things in for certain times of year.
So now that we're over, you know, the initial setup of
everything, the maintenance certainly isn't overwhelming and
it's certainly, you know, no difference to any other livery
yard to be honest. It's just slightly different
things to hear. When you see so many different
elements, you know, and we, we have enough to kind of contend
with, don't win an average field of what needs to be maintained.
You imagine that there would be so much more work with the track
system. But that is inspiring to hear
that you can kind of set it up, get it all in place and then
it's just sort of tweaks and bits here.
That's fab to hear. Lauren, I've got to ask you, you
won best livery yard of the year last year.
Now, why do you think you were recognised and how did it feel
to win? Well, I mean, to start with how
it felt it, it was, I still don't quite believe it.
Essentially it's, it's quite an overwhelming thing.
And Katie, who runs the Equestrian Business Awards is,
is just amazing. And I think what she's doing
with those awards is just brilliant and giving, you know,
a chance for track systems to be showcased.
It's just incredible. I mean, I think they, you know,
obviously we, we spoke quite a lot before they decided on, you
know, who was going to win. And I think the focus is really
were on people who were going that extra mile with welfare,
you know, trying to increase what's happening, you know,
positively for horses. But also we talked quite a lot
about community. And obviously something that we
focused on for years and years is trying to create the, the
Facebook community. And you know, that that people
can actually reach each other. Because like I say, at the start
of my journey, I had nobody to talk to about it.
I, I couldn't find these people. And it was just, I was kind of,
I was out on a limb. I was on my own and I was having
to interpret what I was reading about in the Paddock Paradise
book, but make it work for a completely different climate,
you know, because obviously in America, they, they've got sandy
soil and they don't have so much rain and, you know, they've got
lots of rocky areas. And so it was trying to adapt
that, you know, to to work in the country, in this country.
And I realised that that, I mean, everyone else that was
hearing about tracks was facing the exact same issues.
So I really enjoyed creating and participating in that community
of people that all want to do something to improve their
horse's life. And I know that not everyone can
set up a track and not everyone is in a position to set up a
track, but there are so many different little tweaks and
elements that you can take from that, you know, and make it
work. So I think, you know, that
that's, that's what was recognized with that, you know,
building that community, helping people in a wider circle than
just, you know, the liveries here as well.
Well, congratulations, it's a huge achievement.
And it's like you say, so great to have a track system
recognized, you know, as such a successful livery operation.
I've got to ask you, Lauren, looking back at you just
mentioned, you know, you put in this track system to help your
own horse. Did you ever foresee the
successful livery yard where you've got ways actually you've
given up on waiting lists because no one ever leaves you.
So there's very rarely A vacancy, but where you've you've
got so many happy clients, so many happy horses.
And a thriving business. Did you ever foresee that in
your future? I didn't at all.
I think it's probably interesting to explain that,
that horses for me were always a hobby that I loved doing, but
never at any point in my life had I considered that I wanted
to work with horses. I've always worked with animals
pretty much, but specifically working with horses wasn't
really on my radar at all. And when we experimented with
our first little track system and then when we moved to the
farm that we're at now and decided to, yes, we're
definitely going to set up a track for, for the horses that
we have. The the reason we started to do
livery was because a friend just wanted to come and look round
and she said, do you mind if I bring my other friend with me?
And you know, I was like fine, absolutely fine.
And they came, they had a look round and you know, we had lots
to talk about. And a couple of weeks later her
friend messaged me and said, is there any chance you would
consider having a horse on livery?
Because I'm having XYZ problem with my horse.
And I'll be completely honest, I am, I'm a bit of an introvert.
I don't really enjoy being on busy yards with lots of people
with lots of opinions and being able to, to move to our own
place and just have me and my horses and you know, my husband
and his horses. I was, I was really reluctant to
let go of that, but she was really lovely.
And I thought, do you know what? I was completely honest with her
and I said, look, let's just give it a go and see.
We'll see what comes of it. And they, they were with us for
nine years essentially. She she only left because work
took her back to Wales. So they eventually moved back to
Wales together. But yeah, that just started the
ball rolling really. And we saw such improvements
with him. It was hoof health and we such
saw such massive improvements with him, but it was kind of
like, OK, let's let's just look at taking on one more and then
one more. And then and then it was kind of
like, Oh no, we're definitely running a Liberty yard.
And then we kind of, you know, ramped it all up and probably
became a bit more professional after that.
But it was a very organic start, which was actually nice to me
because for me, because I didn't feel pressured into performing
in a certain way or making certain things work.
Wow, what a journey. Lauren, do you ever look back
and think it started off with £300 worth of electric fencing
and now we've got this huge, great, well established track?
I mean, how does that feel when you reflect on on the the
evolution of the track? As well.
Yeah, it it's very much a sliding doors moment for me
because you know, this horse that I chose to buy, this
trimmer that I chose to speak to, the book that I chose to
read, they're all things that could easily have not happened
and wouldn't have led me in the direction they have.
But, you know, I, I do often reflect and think what, you
know, what would I be doing with my horses if this hadn't
happened? Or if that hadn't happened,
would I, you know, would we have moved to this farm and built a
load of stables and fenced off a load of paddocks?
And to be honest, we probably would have done.
And I would potentially be dealing with some of the, the
very common problem that other people with stabled horses are,
you know, dealing with. It's, it's really overwhelming,
but in a good way, I suppose, because when you really can
appreciate the impact that the system has had on so many
horses, you know, physically the horses that are here, but then
in turn, the owners that have really been struggling and then
have been able to come to an environment where their horses
aren't struggling anymore. And then that just kind of has a
ripple effect outwards in general.
And it's, it's just, it's, it's really humbling.
I don't like to overuse the word humbling because it's a bit
cliche, isn't it? But it is just incredibly like
you sit back and take stock of it and it's just, I think it's a
bit of a wow moment quite often because to to be able to
appreciate all the things that have rippled out from it is it's
just incredible. And Lauren, finally, what one
piece of advice would you give to those who want to set up
their own track system either imminently or on their wish list
in the future? I honestly think the most
important thing is to just have an inquiring mind and to be open
to all the different things that that you might need to do all
the changes you need to make along the way.
Like never be close minded because it's so easy to right.
I'm doing this now and then just get stuck on that one journey.
And you know, for me, the track journey has has morphed and
changed as it's gone along. And if, if I didn't have an open
mind to those changes, you know, I wouldn't have developed to the
stage that we have now. So yeah, I think I genuinely,
obviously, yes, having the materials and having the funds
to do stuff is incredibly important.
But actually having the mindset to to set it up and keep
tweaking until you really feel like it's successful I think is
the most important thing. Lauren, thank you so much for
coming on Curious a question sharing your incredible journey
with us. For those listening who want to
check out, find out more, have a look at your track system, seek
advice and help. How can they make contact and
find you? So we are mainly on Facebook.
We do have other social media popping up and and going on in
the background, but mainly on Facebook at Graveyacquine is our
page. And we also have the horse track
system group on Facebook. And I'm just in the process now
of setting up or resetting up my website, which is
www.horsetracksystem.co.uk as well.
And that will hopefully be up and running again soon when it's
all been tweaked and fancied up a bit.
So yeah, I'm kind of everywhere, really.
Finally, everywhere. And it's not just inspiring in
terms of track system inspo and help and advice, but also I love
seeing your posts about, you know, trialling acorn collectors
that we're all this time of year scrabbling around, aren't we,
trying to brush up all the acorns you were trialling out
this sort of mechanical sort of broom thing that was picking it
all up and spinning it round. And there are lovely foraging
videos and and videos that make us laugh and horses stretching
and and all. Lots of lovely videos that that
either warm the heart or inspire us all as equestrians.
So definitely a community, as you mentioned on your Facebook
page. Yeah.
And I think, yeah, I, I, I love people that have a sense of
humour about stuff because, you know, life, life can be hard.
And to be able to have a bit of a laugh about things as well,
It's, it's just, yeah, super important, I think.
Well, thank you so much, Lauren. I'm leaving full of motivation
and, you know, inspiration that one day I will get a track
system and and, you know, follow in in in your footsteps.
So thank you so much for sharing so much about your life and and
your horses. You're welcome.
It's been really lovely. I love, you can probably tell I
love talking about it. I could talk to you all day, but
this podcast could be hours long.
Yeah. But we have to say goodbye.
So thank you, Lauren. Thank you.