And eating is one of those things.
In fact, eating is a big part of our horse's lives. The Kenner Ranch horses are pastured when they are not working. And since we have gone entirely pasture (except for a couple of months in the winter when we augment their food), our horses have become significantly healthier and happier.
We think (hypothesize) that pasture living brings more than just naturally acquired food and a better diet. We additionally think pasture living and the corresponding processes of finding and eating food brings the essential activities of exercise, socialization, purpose, and a significant role in the broader ecosystem. Yet, I suspect that the words of exercise, socialization, and pupose dramatically understate their complexity in their value to a horse.
Why? Well, horses just spend so much time doing it.
What's clear to me is that it is not ideal to boil all this natural activity, with both its health and behavioral benefits, down to an hours worth of feeding by us twice a day in a more managed environment. Sometimes however, it's necessary or unavoidable.
So the question to me is, how is the horse "designed" to benefit from its traditional ecological niche. It's not just about the food. That's the obvious benefit. It's potentially all the other unseen benefits natural living. In order no to suffer from the unintended consequences of our use of our horses, it is our goal to better understand the natural living of our horses so that when we do alter their "ideal" living conditions we do not create unseen problems that limit the longevity and mental health of our equine partners in the business of the Kenner Horse Ranch.
