Horse Around Acres

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NEW! Horse Around Acres is now offering riding lessons by Ingrid Albrecht. Click "Lessons" for more detail.

Why did we name it "Horse Around Acres"?
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.

A wild horse's diet consists almost entirely of grass. When free, a horse walks and grazes, walks and grazes. 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.
Once domesticated, the horse was moved to a confined, controlled environment. In a stall, he could be easily caught. 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. Some horses can develop COPD (heaves) and horses already with this condition will gradually worsen. 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 designed Horse Around Acres with the horse's health and well being in mind. 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. Your horse can make the decision where the most comfortable spot is (in the sun, away from a draft or in an aisle with a breeze). Who could know better than the horse? 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. The effects of COPD can and have been diminished or eliminated. Therefore, except when necessary (at feeding, if a horse is recuperating or if the farrier or vet is coming), the horses are in a 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.
We feed a locally mixed commercial sweet feed. It has a guaranteed analysis which is regulated by law, with proper calcium/phosphorus ratios. 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.
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.