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Horse Around Acres |
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Welcome!
Mission Statement: To provide a facility where your horse is happiest and
healthiest For two reasons: (1) because we do pasture rotation in two of our herd groups and (2) because we want you to have fun with your horse. Too many times horse ownership turns into pressure to succeed, a sense of failure for not showing/winning/progressing, jealousy because "x" has a better horse. At Horse Around Acres, you will be protected from people who want to ridicule you for your handling beliefs and techniques. Here you will be encouraged to just enjoy your horse and will be given support from us and your fellow boarders. Horse Around Acres has been
in business since 1986--continuously under one ownership. Owners live on
premises. Our Philosophy: A wild horse's diet consists almost entirely of grass. When free, a horse walks and grazes, walks and grazes.
Once domesticated, the horse was
moved to a confined, controlled environment.
In
a stall, he could be easily caught.
We designed Horse Around Acres with
the horse's health and well being in mind.
We feed a locally mixed commercial
sweet feed. It has a guaranteed analysis which is
regulated by law, with proper calcium/phosphorus ratios.
We feed a timothy or timothy/alfalfa mix hay which compliments the calcium/phosphorus ratio of the grain thereby not throwing off the ratio which a legume hay could do.
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This is believed to be best for a horse's digestive system because it allows for a constant flow (in small quantities) of food intake, and the motion of walking is believed to assist the digestive system. Also,
by moving on, he doesn't graze on land where manure was
deposited thereby reducing the chances of ingesting parasite
eggs. He is a herd animal and the social interaction is
said to be an important aspect in his life. Although he
keeps constant watch himself, he relies also on the rest of the
herd to alert him to danger and it is from their quiet, relaxed
stances that he finds assurances that all is well with him.
His amount of feed
could be strictly controlled. He could be kept relatively
clean. However, his exercise is then limited to only the
times he was taken from his stall. For most boarders, that
is about 1-2 hours a night. For the other 22-23 hours, the horse
stands in an area equivalent (from man's perspective) to the
size of a closet. He frequently develops habits arising
from boredom such as cribbing, weaving, and kicking.
Standing in a stall 24 hours a day, being fed concentrated feeds
in only 2 or 3 portions a day is believed to be one of the
causes of the number one killer of horses--colic. Because
he feeds and eliminates in the same 10'x 12' area, worming by
chemicals is suggested every 6 to 8 weeks.
We believe that a horse is healthier and happier in an
environment that is as close as we can make it to what nature
intended. Although this may mean the horse may be more
difficult to catch and groom, we believe the benefits to the
horse's health and attitude outweigh these inconveniences.
Therefore, except when necessary (if a horse is recuperating or
if the farrier or vet is coming), the horses are in an almost
constant "free-choice state." Our horses can
come and go, in and out of their stalls, as they please. We do close them in stalls while feeding to
make sure no horse gets pushed out of his food.
Nutrients that are known to be deficient in this area (such as
selenium) are added to the sweet feed only as needed, assuring
not only do they get the required amount, but that they don't
get overdosed.