This comprehensive self-paced online course is designed to provide you with all the foundational information for safely updating your horse spaces in small or large ways, integrating horses into a herd setting, building your own track system, working with the land you live on, adding enrichment and obstacles to your current boarding situation, or shifting your boarding stable over to a more species-specific set-up. It is suitable for youth and adults who are learning about horse-keeping, those curious about species-specific care even if they don’t have horses of their own, those boarding their horses with others, and those who own their own property and would like to implement a horse track system of their own.
A horse track system aims to mimic the way a horse would live in the wild, in a much much smaller space. This idea started gaining popularity with the release of Paddock Paradise by Jaime Jackson, but was more than likely being used prior to that as it is so intuitive and makes so much sense, particularly in wet climates and on small acreages! Amy Dell-Anthony then released her book Horse Track Systems, which has been supporting people worldwide to implement this species-specific horse keeping strategy.
This idea is slowly making it’s way to the west coast of Canada and the US (thankfully!) and our case studies for this course mainly focus on track systems along this coast (as it is where I live, on beautiful Vancouver Island, which is technically a rain forest). You can build a track on a quarter acre or 50 acres, and you it can be unique to your horse/herd, climate, ecosystems, terrain and lifestyle. This course has something to support every horse person, no matter what your unique situation.
What you will receive when you register:
- Over 12 hours of video and audio content including track tours, examples herd behaviour, tutorials, podcasts and webinars on track living and more (more being added all the time!)
- Specifics on all elements of a track system (shelter, footing, water, forage/hay, supplementation, fencing, pasture management, managing mud, parasite control, manure management, enrichment ideas, obstacles and their use, how to encourage movement and employing permaculture principles)
- 10 track system case studies of herds of varying sizes, in different climates, on different acreages (many in wet climates)
- 3 case studies of herd integration with footage of varying herds and types of integration and herd behaviour
- Tutorials on aggregate use and drainage, hay analysis, hay net making, herd integration and herd and self regulation
- Opportunities to connect with track system consultants and a supportive community of horse people
- Lifetime access to course materials (and content and case studies always being added!)
A huge thank you to our contributors Shannon Beahen (Humminghorse Equestrian), Elisse Miki (EQ Therapeutics), Kim Hallin, Hillary Schneider (Epona Rise), Kim Hallin, Rachel Gedaliya, and all our case study contributors
Build a horse track System (on the west coast) is a must-have, comprehensive guide to creating a species-specific living environment for your equine friends. What makes this course unique is its consideration of the variety of circumstances horse owners face, and its thoughtful suggestions for navigating them – there is truly something for everyone to learn, whether you are an avid DIY property owner or someone who boards and feels as though they have limited options. Alexa brings with her not only two decades worth of practical horse-keeping experience, but a bucket load of passion and a true desire to make horses’ lives better through the material she has created and curated in this course! I loved it and will surely be returning to it as an evergreen resource in my life.
This course has been super helpful and informative when it comes to building a track system and what that looks like for every kind of horse owner/haver. Alexa lays out all of your basic essentials in an easy and fun way to understand, encourages creativity, and as always keeps the health of your horse in the forefront. She also includes links to other helpful sources, as well as a wide variety of examples of what your track could look like. I don’t have my own track system yet, but this course is full of information-lots of which I hadn’t even considered yet- and will be an incredible resource going forward.
Here are some of the benefits of horse track systems…
- They can alleviate boredom, tension and stress behaviour through supportive spaces that include friends, access to varying forage and a focus on and opportunity for lots movement.
- They can activate seeking, curiousity and play in your horse, and move them into healthier nervous system states that promote learning, focus and connection.
- They can support your horse to move freely, fully and with variation, to improve their fitness, discover autonomy and ease in their bodies, and reduce the impacts of over-use injuries, arthritis, tendon issues and aging.
- They can increase quality of life by meeting their species specific needs including enrichment, forage, movement and friendship
- They can improve proprioception, hoof health and connection to the environment
- They can reduce the risk of health issues including ulcers, colic, and metabolic conditions through increased movement, access to species-appropriate forage, enriching time with other horses, and freedom of expression. And who doesn’t love lower vet bills?
- They can enhance your horse’s sensory experience and improve emotional well-being, to allow them to show up in their domestic life in a more balanced and fulfilled way.
- They meet our horses essential needs in their domesticated environment (as much as possible) to support their overall fulfillment and health
- They allow you to improve your land, creating biodiversity, healthier more horse-friendly pasture, and habitats for many other insects, plants and animals
Ready to sign up?
Until December 20th, 2024, enjoy life-time access to all course content for just $195 CDN. The perfect gift for you or the horse love in your life!
Want to learn more about track systems and get to know your instructor a little before deciding? Have a listen to my Whole Horse Podcast episode with the author or Horse Track Systems, Amy Dell, where we geek out about this type of horse keeping…

Meet your Instructor
Alexa Linton is a life-long horse lover, Equine Sport Therapist of 20 years, host of the Whole Horse Podcast, now in it’s 7th season, facilitator, author, and creator of the Whole Horse Apprenticeship, a 6 month equine wellness immersion program, and most recently, Outside the Box Equine, an educational hub for species-specific horse keeping. Her vision is to support a change worldwide in horse keeping practices towards more species-specific care, ethically informed training and riding, and a more collaborative approach to being with and sharing our lives with horses.
She lives with her partner Patrick, her two dogs, and cat, and currently leases land where she has built a track system for her herd of three mares, Diva, Raven and Gwynna in the unceded territory of the Cowichan peoples, now know as the Cowichan Valley on Vancouver Island. Her goal within the next year is to buy land, bring the herd home and build a horse-keeping demonstration site where she can host workshops and retreats and inspire horse lovers to shift their horse spaces by showing what is possible.