Is it Possible to Keep Show Horses in a Herd Environment?

I have always aimed to provide my horses with as much freedom as possible and to encourage social interactions. We are fortunate that our new farm is rich in character and offers a lot of variety for the horses. It motivates them to move in various directions and travel significant distances daily. The horses exercise themselves and only need a few trims annually. They all go barefoot.

The large herd provides ample opportunities for social interaction, with the horses forming pairs or small groups as they prefer. However, the entire herd typically stays within the same area of the farm, functioning as a single unit. We also have some weanlings and young horses that have seamlessly joined the big herd. Indeed, my show horses are part of this herd as well. :-)

All our horses are trained to be comfortable in a stall, but unless they need medical care, they are not kept there. Instead of spending time cleaning stalls, I choose to spend it with the horses. I either relax with the herd during downtime or take them out for a session.

Are there occasional bite and kick marks? Yes. That's why I usually remove my show horses from the main herd a couple of months before a major performance, keeping them in a large paddock.

The drone footage captured by Sedrick Hicks shows feeding time. I have tubs placed on the ground, 20 feet apart, and I drive the golf cart inside my arena, pouring a soaked alfalfa mix with sunflower seeds into each tub through the arena fence. We have additional tubs available in case some horses are pushed away, allowing them to move to another tub. Currently, all the horses in the large herd are grain-free. They have unrestricted access to Bermuda round bales (and will have grass during the summer), as well as salt and minerals.

Enjoy this short video of our farm,

Mirka

Drone Footage Video Credit: PS 91 Digital Arts 

Music Credit:

Titanium by The Piano Guys

Into the Wild by Connell Cruise

Rhythm Inside by Calum Scott.