FAQs on Tracks

Location	Tangledmanes in Alabama	Walowa, Oregon	GreatGotlands, Manitoba, Canada	Gydjulind (Marja), The Netherlands
How many horses do you have on your track?	3 mares: Stella, Jewel, and Ally	7 horses, 2 geldings and 5 mares	2: 1 mare and 1 yearling filly. Occasionally add other mares while friends away.	7 Icelandics, 4 mares, 3 geldings
How wide is your track?	12' with wider corners and a 40'-wide wooded camping section.	12 to 14 feet with rounded corners and two dry lots near sheds	Paths are from 6 to 15 feet. 4 large loafing areas.	8 to 11 feet, rounded corners and several paddocks.
How long is your track?	723 feet (0.14 mile) 220 meters	1660 feet around about a 3 1/2 acre field	1/3 mile on 2.5 acres	2 separate tracks (click for map): 1760 feet (530 mtrs) around 1.7 acres; 1430 feet (430 mtrs) around 3.2 acres.
How long does it take to feed?	30 minutes to load hay nets and feeder toys 15 minutes to distribute	About 20 minutes to spread hay loose around the track.	Total of maybe 30 minutes a day. Most of time is spent walking around to scatter in new spots. Good time to check fences.	About 1 hour total (2 feedings times per day).
How often do you feed?	Twice daily	Twice daily	2-3 times per day, depending on cold or wet weather.	Twice daily
How many feeders do you have per feeding area?	1 to 3	No feeders yet. Just spreading loose hay in small piles	1 slow feeder only. Scatter 2 home-made SMHN. And many small piles of loose hay. Vary the locations of all these.	2 to 4 per track
If the horses run out of food, do they stop moving around the track?	Not completely, but they move less. However, it's rare for them to finish all their hay before the next feeding.	No, they are always hoping to find some left over hay. They do spend some time in the shed, just hanging out.	Actually I think they move more when out of food. They are constsnt;y on the lookout for more. They share food, so not much pressure to move around when there is food in front of them.	No, they keep on checking the track (which is running along woods) for leaves, small branches, acorns etc.
How do you deal with manure clean-up?	Scoop & compost the track; drag the inner field.	scoop and compost the sheds and some of the track. Harrow	Scoop and compost the track. Use quad and trailer to collect (I'm lazy). Harrow sometimes as well.	We scoop the track two times a day. The manure is composted and spread in the pastures after at least one year of composting.
What kind of footing is on your track?	Sand, dirt, 40' of crusher run gravel, a seasonal hoof pond. More gravel soon.	Soil with some clay and "choke", fine gravel in some places. No pea gravel available here.	We are on clay soil. One loafing area is sand for rolling. I have added 100s of softball to soccarball sized rocks around the track, in low areas. Fills the low spots and builds flexor muscles in pasterns and legs. Waterer is surrounded by softball sized rocks and pea gravel. Will be adding 3/4" down crushed limestone to run-in, and pit run (mix of sand, rock and mud) to wet spots for more texture.	Sand and dirt. No gravel yet, but we are planning this for the future.
Do you accept boarders?	no

(continued) Location	Costallota, Ontario, Canada	Nadeau Farm Deerfield, NH (Phase 1)	Spotted T Apps Cocoa, FL	Holly Moffatt Western Washington
How many horses do you have on your track?	3 horses, 3 ponies - 2 geldings, 4 mares	3 fjords	6-8, changes w/horses in training/boarders	5 horses (3 mares, 2 geldings), and 11 goats
How wide is your track?	12 -15 feet with wider corners. Two Camping areas around the Shelters and one wide feeding area in the woods.	12-16 feet with rounded corners and loafing areas (36 feet wide) near feeders and shed. Also use the center of track during bad footing (mud) and winter.	14-19 feet on long sides and 30-40 feet on short ends	18 feet mostly, 10 feet in a few areas. and some much wider areas for "camping out"
How long is your track?	1-1/4 miles	Phase 1: encircles 1.25 acres. Phase II will encircle another 3 acres.	1300 feet, give or take	1/4 mile
How long does it take to feed?	30-40 minutes morning and night to put out hay, depending on the time of year. 15 minutes morning and night to grain.	approx. 40 minutes per day	I can do evening feeding in 20 minutes if rushed. Mornings in 10 minutes.	20 minutes - sometimes longer if I stop to detangle manes and talk to the animals. I love feeding time.
How often do you feed?	Twice a day	Once a day. Hay lasts approx 18 hours during warm months, and 24/7 during cold weather.	Majority of hay and all grain once a day in evening. 3 flakes and check on horses in morning.	2 times a day
How many feeders do you have per feeding area?	Two feeding areas with 5 feed stations each consisting of a big hay trough that 4 can get around if they want and 4 SMHN clipped low on trees.	Varies according to weather, footing, or whimsy. Generally, I have one bale out per horse per day scattered among the following feeders: Freedom Feeder nets (used on the ground) Busy Horse Grande Slow Feeder bags (hung) Challenge Feeders: Amazing Graze & Nose It.	I have 2 large slow feeders, and divide up a couple of flakes around the track.	No feeders - small piles along the track keep horses moving - refer to Jacksons book - Feeders keep horses in the same spot for too long. Movement and correct diet = healthy hooves
If the horses run out of food, do they stop moving around the track?	No. Mine graze in the centre for 1-1-1/2 hours morning and night then they go out on the track. I put hay at the far away feeding station first, once they all head back there I put food at the closer station this way they wonder back and forth hoping I have refueled their nets until it is time to go out and graze again. Ponies where muzzles while grazing and through the day. The muzzles come off after the night graze and go on before the morning graze.	No. My dominant mare keeps them moving.	They nap, then take a walk around the track hoping for scraps.	They keep moving hoping to find new piles of hay. My barn is on the track and that is where the water is. They travel back there a few times a day to drink.
How do you deal with manure clean-up?	Scoop and compost track and fields. In the woods I just pitch it over the fence:)	Winter: scrape run with backhoe when possible. Rest of the year: Daily picking of paddock takes an hour	Scoop at least 4 times a week directly into Newer Spreader, spread onto center pastures.	I walk the track with a manure fork - sometimes I toss it in the center or I go around with tractor to pick it up and dump in a pile for composting. Twice a week seems to be working out well
What kind of footing is on your track?	Mud right now! But usually clay with sparse bits of grass. In the woods there is a lot of limestone rock. I hope to put in pea gravel somewhere in the spring.	Decomposed granite (stone dust) on 1/2 of track. Cons: too abrasive to eat off of. Topsoil on the rest. Cons: mud. Solution: rubber mats under Busy Horse bags.	50% sand, 50% black dirt and section of pea gravel over cement wash out, but the pea gravel has disapeared into the dirt with time.	I have gravel areas, hard packed dirt areas and muddy areas. I have alot of rocks all shapes and sizes throughout the track. I don't remove rocks. My horses are barefoot and I love rocks for tough soles.
Do you accept boarders?		Yes! Starting August 2010

Location	Rochester, MN	Jane Kendall, NY	New Caney, TX starstruckranch.com	Hadensville, VA
How many horses do you have on your track?	Currently only 4- 2 mares, 2 geldings	3 - two Paints (mare and gelding) and a HUGE draft cross (gelding), Sparrow, Jericho, and Summit	Currently 8. 2 geldings, 6 mares & 1 is only a yearling.	1 mare
How wide is your track?	6-30 feet, will need to make parts more narrow this spring as they are moving too slow	varies from 15' to 40' the track is a rectangle with the ends narrow and two of the corners larger.	Track is 12' & has several resting areas of about 40'.	12 feet, rounded corners
How long is your track?	about 1000+ ft, will expand to about 1 mile this year	about 1/4 mile around (about 4 1/2 acres)	currently about 1400 ft+. fixing to expand to open up around my pond.then around my whole property.	~1000 feet
How long does it take to feed?	about 1 hour per day, so 2 hours every other day	around 15 mins. for just the feed, but I try to clean feet daily as well, and like to spend time grooming and just hanging out if I can. Can take me up to 11/2 hours - depends on weather and track conditions	Maybe 20 min in the morning than if they run out during day i will put more hay out later.	30 minutes to fill hay nets and distribute
How often do you feed?	minerals daily, hay every other day (due to continuous feeding of hay)	2X day - supplements (Glanzen Complete Juliet Getty's web site) on top of beet pulp and alfalfa pellets moistened	once or twice a day. depends if they run out. i also go out put alfalfa cubes around to keep them hunting for them.	Hay nets last about 24-36 hours, and then turn her out for 12-24 hours, so feed once every two days about.
How many feeders do you have per feeding area?	2 big feeders on opposite ends, 6 SMHNs spread out along track	After many changes, I currently have two hay nets that fit an entire square bale. There is one of these at two opposite corners at all times. We just baled some great second cutting and that is spread out at the other two corners for now.	1 big slow feeder, 3 SMHN in one area and a couple other SMHN around the track.	6 hay trees distributed pretty equally around the whole track
If the horses run out of food, do they stop moving around the track?	No, they look for food then (but I try not to let them run out of food)	They don't run out of food. I make sure there is hay in the nets at all times. If they get tired of the hay, they can graze on some grass on the track and at the moment I have the middle open. They travel all over the place in and out of the middle, around the track. I thought that might keep them camped in the middle, but it hasn't at all, they still travel all over.	Not really, they keep hunting for more. they only stop to rest and nap.	Stop going in certain areas in general (sometimes still travels around whole track), but movement still required to go between her dry lot where she tends to hang out and the water trough
How do you deal with manure clean-up?	I clean the run-in as needed, the track I'll have to figure out this spring (so far "self cleaning" due to snow build-up), will likely get a tractor to clear the track, then compost everything	I scoop in and around the run-in daily - husband scrapes track seasonally. I clean the entire track about once every 2-3 weeks during warm weather.	i have a UTV with a dump bed that i take out and pick the track every other day to keep it clean.	Spread a couple times a week (toss most of it into the woods outside the track, only a small area it gets tossed into the middle)
What kind of footing is on your track?	Sandy dirt with grass cover, will put in pea gravel, crushed rock and sand this year	varies from grass (turf) to pea gravel to "item #4" gravel or bank run (small chopped up stones and dust). Track varies from great (hard dirt/stone all around to areas of mud, puddles, ice, and deep snow depending on season and weather.	Dirt, Sand & just starting to get some rocks.	All dirt right now, with occasional rocks naturally throughout the area
Do you accept boarders?	Probably this spring (currently looking into insurance costs etc. to do boarding). Will ask for about $145 until everything is done, then increase board to $170-180 (depending what insurance will cost me). Have room for 6 more horses.	No. But have thought about getting some horses who need rehab (from pulled shoes, laminitis, or navicular) at my place.	Yes we do.	No

Location	Copper Caballo Ranch, Phoenix, AZ
How many horses do you have on your track?	Currently 3 horses and 2 mini donkeys (2 geldings, 3 mares). Usually 5-7 horses counting boarders
How wide is your track?	12 feet, 2 larger corners around 25 feet, and 20 feet at the loafing shed and water area
How long is your track?	Track around 3/4 acre with small arena in the middle
How long does it take to feed?	About 35-40 mins twice a day, and 15 mins for the boarders horses who get supplements. I haven't timed it but I think 1/2 that time is spent giving scratches and pets :D
How often do you feed?	once or twice, depends on how fast they're going through hay and how many horses I have at the time
How many feeders do you have per feeding area?	4 right now. The mini donkeys killed 3 smhn, but now that they're used to them we're planning on 7 stations; two hard sided and 5 various hay nets, and 2 nose-it cubes.
If the horses run out of food, do they stop moving around the track?	Not right away. They have about a 2hour back-&-forth treasure hunt for hay, THEN they give up. Once or twice a month I'll let them go empty for a couple hours, figure I should take advantage of it once in a while :)
How do you deal with manure clean-up?	Scoop poo 5-7 times a week and have it taken from the property once a week. But now that I have chickens that help with the poo volume by scratching it into tiny little bits, I think I see a composter in my future.
What kind of footing is on your track?	Hard packed dirt mostly, with lots of random rocks. Have a section of small-sized river rock (hard to pick poo off of so I wouldn't recommend anyone use that size on purpose, but it was here when we moved in so we left it). Same small-sized, hard-to-pick-poo-off-of river rock in loafing shed and going to the water. 2 soft rolling spots. Will be adding some pea gravel and a walk-thru hoof bath soon.
Do you accept boarders?	Yes. We've been doing Natural Boarding in AZ for 4+ years. We've just moved to a new location and will start taking new boarders here in Feb 2011. Yay! Our website is www.ThinkOutsideTheStall.com

CopperCaballoRanch	Latest page update: made by CopperCaballoRanch , Dec 14 2010, 3:10 AM EST (about this update About This Update Edited by CopperCaballoRanch 5 words added 1 word deleted view changes - complete history)
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Luckybells

remaining pasture

Oct 29 2010, 3:59 AM EDT by AishaYeshe

Thread started: Oct 17 2010, 9:37 PM EDT Watch

I haven't come across anything that discusses how the rest of the pasture is used. Are horses turned out on pasture part of the day and on the track part of the day?

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tangledmanes

FAQ chart expanded!

Jan 5 2010, 7:08 PM EST by tangledmanes

Thread started: Jan 5 2010, 1:39 PM EST Watch

http://paddockparadise.wetpaint.com/page/FAQs+on+Tracks
I noticed that all the columns in both charts there were filled up with quick answers about eight different Paddock Paradise turnout tracks. Fantastic! So I added another chart for more PP comparison. If your turnout track isn't on there already, take a few minutes and put your location at the top of a column, then answer the FAQ's underneath -- it's a great place for folks to see how others are set up, and shows how track systems differ within the PP structure.

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tangledmanes

tick control

Oct 16 2009, 2:05 AM EDT by AdrienneTWimbush

Thread started: Apr 14 2009, 10:03 AM EDT Watch

For those with Paddock Paradise in wooded areas, how do you control the ticks?

I looked at an interesting property by a stream with a gravel drive that I could incorporate into a track, and a steep climb up to a tillable field which I would skirt with PP if I were to put the horses there. There was even a fairly solid old barn with a hay loft, tall enough to park a motor home inside during winter if necessary. But the TICKS were TERRIBLE! Just stepping out of the vehicle onto the driveway area would collect a tick or two on a pants leg. Is it because it was by natural water? I don't have natural water or ticks at my place in NY, but they seem to be thick near the two streams I've visited so far around Clarksville TN.
Any insight would be appreciated. :-)
~JoAnn

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