Healthier Horses, Healthier Land: An American Track System Case Study
At Switch Equine, we specialise in creating systems that support both horse welfare and environmental resilience. For this project, we were commissioned to design a track system and adaptive grazing plan for a small equestrian property in Maryland, USA. The client wanted to improve horse health, restore pasture condition, and protect the wider environment — all within a compact five‑acre site.
Understanding the Challenges
The land had been under‑managed for some time, resulting in:
- Pastures dominated by weeds and lacking nutritional diversity.
- Risks of soil compaction, erosion, and waterlogging due to slope and drainage patterns.
- A need to balance horse movement and enrichment with the protection of sensitive areas, including a watercourse and woodland edge.
- The client’s wish to create a system that was practical to manage day‑to‑day, but also adaptable for the future.
Our Approach
We combined GIS and LiDAR mapping with on‑the‑ground assessment provided by our client to design a contour‑aligned track system that worked with the natural shape of the land. Key features included:
- Perimeter track with varied widths to encourage safe movement and reduce pressure points.
- Rotational grazing cells to allow grass recovery and improve soil health.
- Protective buffers along the watercourse to safeguard water quality and riparian habitats.
- Enrichment features such as scratching posts, herb strips, and poles to encourage natural behaviours and continuous circulation.
- Surfacing strategies for high‑traffic areas to reduce mud, protect hooves, and extend usability year‑round.
The grazing plan was based on adaptive planned grazing, with rotation speeds adjusted seasonally to mimic natural grazing patterns. Overseeding with a diverse, horse‑safe mix was recommended to strengthen the sward, improve biodiversity, and reduce reliance on chemical inputs.
Outcomes
The design provided the client with a clear, phased plan:
- For the horses: improved movement, safer footing, and access to varied forage and enrichment.
- For the land: healthier soils, reduced erosion, and increased resilience to drought and flooding.
- For the client: a practical management system with daily, weekly, and seasonal checklists, making the approach easy to implement and sustain.
Why This Matters
This project demonstrates how science‑based design and equine insight can transform small American properties into thriving, resilient systems. By aligning horse welfare with ecological principles, the site is set to become a model of agroecological equine management — healthier horses, healthier land, and a more sustainable future.