The environment in which a horse lives and develops is shaped by many different choices. From nutrition and bedding to stabling, pasture management and fencing, each forms part of the way we care for our horses.
At Maverick Stables, we choose the companies, products and services we work with carefully. We value quality, reliability, practical knowledge and solutions that fit the way we believe horses should be managed.
Some of these relationships have been part of Maverick for many years, while others have developed as our facilities and management have evolved. What connects them is that each contributes, in its own way, to the environment we aim to create for our horses.
For us, a trusted partner is therefore more than a name or logo. It is a company whose products, knowledge or craftsmanship have earned a place within the way we work.
Good nutrition begins with understanding the individual horse. Age, stage of development, body condition, reproductive status and workload can all influence what a horse requires.
At Maverick Stables, forage forms the foundation of our feeding programme. Where additional nutrition is appropriate, we use Action Quality Horsefood as our concentrated feed.
With broodmares, foals and growing young horses all requiring different management, we do not believe in one fixed feeding programme for every horse. Instead, concentrated feed forms part of the wider ration and is adjusted according to the horse in front of us.
Our aim is simple: to provide the nutritional support a horse needs without losing sight of the importance of quality forage and considered daily management.
Roughage is at the centre of our feeding programme and one of the most important elements of everyday horse management. Consistent quality therefore matters to us.
Jan Bakker supplies the roughage used at Maverick Stables, as well as the straw we use for bedding. This means their products are present in two fundamental parts of daily life at the stable: what our horses eat and the environment in which they rest.
We value being able to work with a supplier who understands the practical demands of a horse operation and can provide the quantities and consistency required throughout the year.
From the forage in our slowfeeders to the straw in the stables, these may appear to be everyday essentials, but their quality influences the horses every single day.
For us, good management is often found in precisely these details. The things that are used every day deserve just as much consideration as the decisions that are made only occasionally.
The everyday details make the difference.
03 — STABLING & FACILITIES
A stable is more than a place to house a horse. Its design influences safety, daily routines, observation and ultimately how much time can be devoted to the horses themselves.
For the stabling at Maverick Stables, we chose Tresforte. Our stables were designed with practical details that support the way we work every day, including integrated slowfeeders that can be accessed directly from the stable aisle.
Each slowfeeder is fitted with its own access door, allowing us to refill forage without having to enter the stable. This may seem like a relatively small design detail, but across an entire stable it makes a considerable difference. Feeding becomes faster, more consistent and considerably more efficient.
For us, that efficiency has a purpose. The less time we need to spend on repetitive practical tasks, the more time remains for what matters most: observing, handling and caring for the horses.
That is what we value in thoughtful stable design. Good facilities should make daily management simpler, safer and more efficient while supporting the needs of the horses living within them.
Our pastures form an important part of the environment in which our horses live and develop. We therefore see pasture management as more than simply maintaining a green field.
We use Barenbrug HorseMaster as part of our grassland management and overseed selected areas with Vitalstyle WeideKruiden, adding a mixture of edible herbs alongside the grasses already present in the pasture.
Throughout the year, we continue to observe how our land develops. Grass growth, soil conditions, grazing pressure and the presence of both desirable and undesirable plants all provide information that can influence the way we manage our pastures.
Rather than aiming for a perfectly uniform field, we want to maintain a well-managed and varied environment that fits the needs of our horses and the way our land is used.
Pasture management is never completely finished. Like the horses grazing it, the land continues to change — and our management needs to respond with it.
Healthy pastures are built season by season.
The way a pasture is enclosed is just as much a part of its design as the land within it. Safety comes first, but durability, functionality and the way fencing works within everyday management matter too.
When developing the pasture fencing at Maverick Stables, we worked with Van Wijncoop and Timbersteel to create an outdoor environment suited to the way we keep and manage our horses.
The result combines the practical requirements of horse fencing with the clean and consistent appearance we wanted throughout the property.
For us, good fencing should not demand attention. It should quietly do its job: create clear boundaries, support safe daily management and become a natural part of the environment in which our horses live and grow.
Good stable management does not end with feeding, bedding and caring for the horses. What leaves the stable requires just as much practical organisation as what comes into it.
At Maverick Stables, our horse manure is collected and removed by Staal Eemnes. Regular and reliable removal helps us keep the stable environment organised and allows the daily routines around mucking out and bedding to run efficiently.
It is one of those parts of running a stable that visitors may rarely think about, but with horses on the property every day, responsible and dependable manure removal is an essential part of the wider management of the yard.
For us, good organisation behind the scenes supports the standard of care we want to maintain in front of it.
