Land Management for Equine Health and Resilience
At Switch Equine, we are often asked to design systems that balance horse welfare with environmental resilience. This project focused on a small upland holding with an EMS horse, two donkeys, and a small flock of sheep. The priority was to manage the EMS horse in a way that limited grass intake, encouraged steady movement, and reduced the risk of laminitis — while also meeting the needs of the other animals and improving the land.
Understanding the Challenges
The site already had a basic track system in place, but there were opportunities to:
- Improve drainage on sloping ground to reduce erosion and poaching.
- Enhance the track to encourage more movement and provide varied enrichment.
- Integrate sheep into the grazing system to help manage pasture growth and reduce parasite burden.
- Balance the needs of different animals: an EMS horse requiring restricted grazing, older donkeys with lower nutritional demands, and sheep that could support grassland management.
- Reduce reliance on bought‑in forage by improving pasture health and exploring standing hay options.
Our Approach
We built on the existing framework with practical, phased recommendations that could be implemented gradually and cost‑effectively:
- Track adjustments: extending across contours to slow water flow, linking fields to create more varied loops, and adding poles on slopes to slow movement.
- Drainage and shelter: trialling swales and tree lines with horse‑safe species such as rowan, birch, willow, and alder.
- Enrichment features: browse stations, scratching posts, textured footing zones, herb patches, and seasonal enrichment to support both movement and mental stimulation.
- Rotational grazing: dividing fields into smaller paddocks, with sheep following horses to tidy swards and reduce parasite risk.
- Forage strategy: leaving areas as standing hay (foggage) to provide low‑input winter forage, supported by hay testing to balance nutrition for the EMS horse.
- Grassland improvement: overseeding with low‑sugar, horse‑friendly mixes to build a more diverse, resilient sward.
- Manure management: encouraging composting methods to recycle nutrients and improve soil health.
Outcomes
The recommendations created a clear pathway to:
- Support the EMS horse’s health through controlled grazing, movement, and enrichment.
- Improve soil and pasture resilience, reducing reliance on external forage.
- Enhance biodiversity through hedgerow management, tree planting, and overseeding.
- Simplify management with practical, time‑efficient systems such as rotational paddocks and potential automated gates.
Why This Matters
This project demonstrates how tailored land management can meet the needs of horses with specific health requirements while also improving the wider landscape. By integrating equine welfare, grazing science, and ecological design, the site is set to become more resilient, sustainable, and rewarding for both animals and people.