horse track systems

my story

I knew I loved horses before I ever even met one from a very young age. Their presence, their magic, their power was absolutely magnetizing. I would watch every horse sport there was from showjumping and dressage to racing and driving. I was horse crazy! I was lucky enough that my parents enrolled me in a winter horse camp one year as a kid and I met my very first true horse. His name was Bobby and he was a 21 year old white Appaloosa with the kindest eye a horse could have. He was the best first introduction to a horse a girl could have. After that camp I was definitely hooked! I come from a military family and we moved around a lot, but the constant was always horses for me. I had the privilege of being able to ride in Germany at a riding stable near where my dad was stationed. This is where I really learned to ride on a magnificent retired racehorse, Black Jack. He is where my love for retired racehorses began and ultimately led me to where I am today. I fell in love with the Thoroughbred, head over heels. Thus began my research and journey towards owning my own OTTB! I bought every book I could find, met with friends and trainers who were familiar with the breed, and even was lucky enough to hang around the track and learn from folks there. They almost all sang the same tune… The likes of - “Thoroughbreds are high strung animals who needed to be stalled, kept on high grain diets, with limited turnout with other horses to keep their condition and prevent them from hurting themselves.” Loaded up with all the information I could hold, filled with excitement and trepidation, I finally bought my very own, Thoroughbred, straight off of the track. His racing name is “Govenor Bernstein” but I call him Banks. He came off of the trailer in impeccable condition, shiny as could be, with the absolute longest legs! One of the best days of my life I have experienced. There is nothing like planning, preparing, and wishing for a moment to come true and then to finally live, it is just incredible. I was determined to do everything right and be everything I needed to be for him. Little did I know, he was going to absolutely flip my world upside down and teach me lessons I never even knew I needed to be taught, in all of the best ways possible. He has opened my eyes to an entire world of possibilities I never knew existed and for that, I am forever grateful to him.

During my time before my “awakening", Banks was kept in a traditional style stall, he had limited turnout with a couple of other horses, wore metal horse shoes on all four hooves, and was fed a high grain diet. I didn’t know anything better! This is what my years of research taught me to do and I was only doing what I thought to be the absolute highest level of care I could possibly provide for him. As his anxiety, food aggression, and hoof problems grew, I knew I needed to re-evaluate my care regime. That is when I found the concept of the Paddock Paradise as founded, researched, and written by Jaime Jackson. There are many other philosophies of how to track and I believe everyone should be able to choose what resonates with them and go for it! I was able to put Banks on a track system with a horse friend, on a forage based, low NSC diet, and barefoot. These changes took over a year to fully implement and I didn’t learn it all at once. There was much trial and error, but by listening to Banks and what he needed, the changes I have seen in him mentally, physically, spiritually, and emotionally, has been astounding. I want to bring these changes to more horses and their caregivers because the relationship and bond it builds between horse and human are just absolutely life changing. I am so passionate about this subject and am committed to helping others make the jump! We don’t ever know it all, but if we are open minded and willing, we can learn a lot along the way.