Well, that's a mouthful. To break that down a bit ... the first part says
living in a herd situation. To be in a herd means to be with others of his own kind, to socialize and interact. Here at Equinextion we have horses coming and going on
a somewhat regular basis. We have one main herd to hold a constant 'order'. Horses are very social
animals and need the company of others to live with at all times. It's not the same as being caged next to another horse. They need
to learn to touch, groom, play, rest, etc. with other horses This also calms the mind. A lot of behavioral
problems will be solved by giving your horse a natural lifestyle.
To have enough space to move freely. You
don't need TONS of land to do this either. In New Brunswick we had less than 4 acres of land and not all of it
belonged to the horses. We kept adding to the list of innovative ways to keep them moving and exploring and interacting
within their 'ecosystem' ( EQ-System ). Some
things include 'pick-a-pooing', a compost program, and utilizing electric fencing to balance their system with the
seasons.
Maintaining an interest in their environment. We
simply mean we keep them moving ... exploring, if you will. Using the whole area allotted to them.
Movement is the Essence of Horse ... but they need to be given reason to do so when
they are living in a concentrated ecosystem. We have variable strategies for each season to insure a
lot of natural movement in addition to regular exercise and training programs.