Our philosophy about horse care is to provide the horse with a life that most closely resembles
that of a wild horses life. We provide an environment that allows them to move freely, eat when
they want to, and enjoy the company of their herd.
There was a time when I thought the best life for a horse was an animal that lived in a barn, had a nice box
stall, and a warm winter blanket, horse shoes, and alfalfa twice a day. Over the years I have come to
understand that the life I once thought was good for my horse was actually making my horse unhappy and
in some cases sick.
I have found that horses kept in isolation have far more problems than horses kept with a buddy. They
are herd animals and with out a herd they can feel very anxious and unhappy. There fore our horses are
housed in paddocks that are approximately 50 X 100 foot. They are all tree lined and equipped with large
shelters. Each paddock houses 2 horses.
Wild horses eat small amounts of dry grass/hay through out each day. There bodies are designed to move
and eat all day and most of each night. Our horses are fed free choice amounts of orchard grass and oat
hay 24/7. The free choice hay is placed at opposite ends of the paddock to give the horses some room to
roam and graze.
The horses also have constant access to free choice minerals and salt as they would in the wild.
It has been observed that in the wild horses stand in water for periods of time (average 20 minutes) each
day. It is believed that they do this not only to cool their hooves but also to give them much needed
moisture. We have installed 2 hoof soaking baths for this purpose.
Obviously a boarding situation isn’t going the replicate what their lives would have been in the wild but
we try to come as close as possible for the horses health and happiness.
Here at the ranch we support all forms of natural horse healing and care. We understand that everyone
has different needs and beliefs. We will work with the individual horse and owner to create a boarding
situation that is comfortable for both. Our goal is to create an environment for both human and horse to
thrive and have fun.