How Mustangs Thrive in a Track System: A Natural Approach to Horsekeeping
- Kit Maxwell
- May 20
- 3 min read
When people picture “happy horses,” they often imagine a big, open pasture with thick green grass and a barn in the background. It’s a lovely image—but when it comes to how horses actually live in the wild, it’s far from accurate.
Mustangs, for example, aren’t standing around in lush fields. They’re moving. Constantly. Covering miles each day as they search for food, water, and safety. They travel across rough terrain, interact with their herd, and engage with their environment in meaningful ways. And all of that movement? It’s not just exercise—it’s essential to their physical, mental, and emotional well-being.
At Zenhorse®, we’ve seen firsthand how mustangs thrive when we honor their natural patterns. That’s why we’re working toward building a track system—a way of keeping horses that’s inspired by how they actually live in the wild.
What Is a Track System?
A track system is exactly what it sounds like: a looping track, typically around the perimeter of a pasture or property, designed to keep horses moving and engaged throughout the day. Rather than dumping hay in one big pile in the middle of a field, food and water stations are spaced out along the track, encouraging the herd to walk, explore, and interact.
This approach was popularized by Jaime Jackson, a former farrier who spent years studying wild horse herds. He noticed that domestic horses, confined to traditional pastures and stalls, often suffered from hoof problems, behavioral issues, and metabolic conditions—problems that were rare in wild herds.
In his book Paddock Paradise, Jackson lays out a model based on what he observed in nature. One of his key insights was this: wild horses tend to graze on scrubby, sparse grass along their migratory routes. The rich, green grass? That’s usually found in areas they don’t linger—because that’s where predators, like cougars, tend to hang out. It’s nature’s way of saying, “Don’t get too comfortable here.” A built-in mechanism to regulate sugar intake and encourage movement.
Why Mustangs (and Other Horses) Thrive on Tracks
At Zenhorse®, we work primarily with rescued mustangs, and we see their wild instincts every day. They want to move. They need stimulation. When confined to a square paddock or a lush pasture, they often get bored, push boundaries, or develop health issues from lack of movement or too much rich grass.
A track system allows us to support them in a way that’s aligned with who they are.
But here’s the thing: this isn’t just good for mustangs. It’s good for all horses.
No horse—domestic or wild—is built to stand in one place all day and munch on sugar-rich grass. Track systems promote:
✅ Healthy hooves through constant, natural wear
✅ Improved digestion by mimicking continuous foraging
✅ Better joint and muscle tone through movement
✅ Mental and emotional well-being by offering novelty, variety, and social interaction
✅ Fewer behavior issues because horses are engaged instead of bored
Add in enrichment—logs to step over, different textures of footing, hills, shady spots, water stations, scratching posts—and you’ve got something much closer to the way horses are designed to live.
Building Toward a Better Way
At Zenhorse®, we’re in the process of developing our own track system to better serve the mustangs in our care. It’s part of our vision to create not just a safe space—but a thriving, dynamic environment where horses and humans can both reconnect to what’s natural, grounded, and healing.
If you’d like to support the building of our track system, we’d love to include you in our Adopt A Post campaign.For just $25, you can sponsor the cost of one T-post, sleeve, and cap—an essential piece of the track infrastructure. But even more special? We’ll give you the cap to decorate in any way you like—a design, a tribute, a memorial for a loved one, or something created by your children or grandchildren. Once returned, we’ll seal your artwork in polyurethane and install it as a permanent part of our track system.
It’s a way to leave a lasting mark, support the mustangs, and create something you can come visit anytime. You help build the path—and they’ll walk it.
If you’d like to learn more about Track Systems, there are online communities dedicated to sharing ideas and experiences with track systems. (If you’re curious, just search Facebook for “track system for horses” or “Paddock Paradise.”) Whether you’re keeping two horses or caring for a whole herd, there are ways to start small and expand over time.
Because in the end, it’s not about having the fanciest barn or the greenest field. It’s about honoring what horses truly need to be well.
And that starts with listening to what they’ve been showing us all along.
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