{"id":4562,"date":"2026-03-28T15:03:19","date_gmt":"2026-03-28T15:03:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/metazoa.nl\/?p=4562"},"modified":"2026-03-06T17:09:19","modified_gmt":"2026-03-06T17:09:19","slug":"herbs-in-the-browsing-paddock","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/metazoa.nl\/en\/herbs-in-the-browsing-paddock\/","title":{"rendered":"Herbs in the Browsing Paddock\u00ae: Nourishing both body and curiosity"},"content":{"rendered":"

[vc_row el_class=”global headersection headerimage” css=”.vc_custom_1772816955890{background-image: url(https:\/\/metazoa.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Browsing-Paddock-header.jpg?id=4628) !important;background-position: center !important;background-repeat: no-repeat !important;background-size: cover !important;}”][vc_column el_class=”outer-col-1″][vc_empty_space height=”220px” el_class=”deskonly”][vc_empty_space height=”80px”][vc_row_inner el_class=”row-0 home”][vc_column_inner width=”1\/12″][\/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner el_class=”centered” width=”10\/12″][vc_column_text css=””]<\/p>\n

Herbs in the Browsing Paddock\u00ae: Nourishing both body and curiosity<\/h1>\n

[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”50px”][vc_empty_space height=”34px”][\/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1\/12″][\/vc_column_inner][\/vc_row_inner][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row el_class=”global grid” css=”.vc_custom_1748809565914{background-color: #FFFFFF !important;background-position: center !important;background-repeat: no-repeat !important;background-size: cover !important;}” el_id=”copsytuk”][vc_column el_class=”outer-col-1″][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_column_text css=”” el_class=”terugnaar”]<\/i> Back to overview<\/a><\/strong>[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”20px”][vc_empty_space height=”20px”][vc_column_text css=””]<\/p>\n

April and May may well be the most beautiful months of the year. The soil warms up, everything begins to grow, and it\u2019s the perfect moment to sow or plant herbs.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Herbs, whether fresh or dried, are a wonderful addition to your horse\u2019s diet. They support the body, contribute to a varied intake of nutrients, and align with what a horse would naturally eat.<\/strong><\/p>\n

But within the concept of the Browsing Paddock\u00ae, developed by Femke D\u00f6lle, herbs take on an even deeper meaning. They nourish not only the body, but also the horse\u2019s behaviour, curiosity, and overall wellbeing.<\/strong><\/p>\n

What is a Browsing Paddock\u00ae?<\/h2>\n

The Browsing Paddock\u00ae is based on five pillars: Movement, Soil, Bonding, Biodiversity, and Browsing<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

The principle is simple yet powerful: a horse is designed to move while searching, choosing, tasting, and varying its food. In nature, horses live in diverse landscapes with trees, shrubs, herbs, and different soil types. They do not eat one single type of hay all day.<\/p>\n

A Browsing Paddock\u00ae mimics this natural system. Not based on what is convenient for humans, but on the biological and psychological needs of the horse. That is precisely why it is one of the most effective ways to prevent boredom and support the horse\u2019s mental wellbeing.<\/p>\n

Vegetation plays a key role in this system.<\/p>\n

Eating according to nature<\/h2>\n

Within her designs, Femke works extensively with woody plants such as willow, hazel, hawthorn, alder, and elm. These plants are edible for much of the year and stimulate natural foraging behaviour: leaves, twigs, young shoots, and bark.<\/p>\n

Grasses and herbs are often added in other areas of the property. Not everything is planted in one large bed. On the contrary: herbs often find their place along ditches, near stables, in corners of the yard, or along pasture edges. This way, spaces that might otherwise have little function become valuable parts of the system.<\/p>\n

This not only increases biodiversity, but also improves soil health, attracts insects, and creates a vibrant, green environment, for both horses and humans.<\/p>\n

Why not give free access to herbs?<\/h2>\n

Herbs are valuable, but also vulnerable. When horses have unrestricted access, plants are easily trampled, the soil becomes compacted, and root systems are damaged. What takes a full season to grow can disappear in minutes.<\/p>\n

For that reason, herbs in a Browsing Paddock\u00ae are often harvested rather than freely grazed<\/strong>. Fresh herbs are picked and offered in the paddock or scattered around the area. This approach keeps the system sustainable in the long term while still offering horses variety.<\/p>\n

The power of variety for the gut microbiome<\/h2>\n

As equine nutritionists at Metazoa, we are particularly enthusiastic about this concept. The variety of herbs, shrubs, and fibre sources perfectly aligns with what a healthy horse needs.<\/p>\n

A diverse range of fibres supports the gut microbiome,<\/strong>\u00a0the billions of bacteria that are essential for digestion, immunity, and overall vitality.<\/p>\n

But there is an important nuance to consider.<\/p>\n

The \u201cwhy\u201d of a balancer<\/h2>\n

Although a Browsing Paddock\u00ae offers a great deal of natural variation, our horses no longer live on wild, mineral-rich soils.<\/p>\n

Modern soils are often relatively poor in nutrients. Forage does not always contain the full spectrum of vitamins and minerals that horses would find in the wild. And even with herb strips and diverse planting, it is simply not realistic to recreate hundreds of plant species on one property.<\/p>\n

This is where a balancer<\/strong> plays its role.<\/p>\n

A high-quality balancer provides those small but essential nutrients that may be lacking, including:<\/p>\n