For those new to the page or not familiar with my alter ego, I’m Lauren Johnson Hetherington. (Technically Lauren Johnson but kept my maiden name included for work reasons!)
I have been involved with horses from a young age. I started riding at four years old after a donkey ride on the beach got me hooked!
I spent years paying my dues at the local riding stables where I completed my stable management levels as I continued my riding development.
At nine years old I was lucky enough to have my own pony and from then on as I grew up I loaned and owned a motley crew of equines.
When I was old enough, I started working at a local farm. My grandad was a farmer so the outdoors and animals are in my blood, while all my friends had nice clean jobs, I was always covered in some questionable smell!
In my late teens, I decided to study for an animal based science (BSc Hons) degree as opposed to just equine as although I loved horses, I hadn’t considered them as more than a hobby at this point.
After my degree, I worked in a variety of animal and non animal based jobs and because they were all such different roles, I learnt a huge amount. About myself, about other people and life in general!
I spent four years working in a management role in the pet trade and during that time I qualified with AMTRA (Animal Medicines Training Regulatory Association) to be able to prescribe and sell all SQP animal medications.
I moved to Kent in 2008 and began working with horses, that is where I met my (now) husband Thomas. I’d had a break from horses before my move as I felt very stifled by traditional horse keeping methods and not at ease with many training methods that were used. I bought one of my current horses, Wilma, in 2011 and decided that I was going to do things my way. It turns out Wilma had other ideas and she started me on a journey that led me to where I am today.
Meanwhile, a big development in my career brought me into teaching, I gained my teaching qualification and spent 8 years lecturing at one of the country’s leading agricultural colleges with my specialisms being animal welfare, behaviour and nutrition.
While I was teaching, at home we were also setting up and developing our track system and I was training to become a barefoot trimmer. I have been trimming for 6 years now and am classed as an Independent trimmer although I am registered with the PHCP for CPD, training and support.
Eventually, I decided that I wanted to concentrate fully on horses and I left my job as a lecturer to continue trimming and running the track system livery which has grown from strength to strength.
I am an avid blogger and I also write for The Barefoot Horse Magazine and have written for Your Horse and Horse and Hound and local publications several times. I work as a track system consultant and have also been involved in some high profile welfare projects in an advisory capacity.
I am really passionate about equine welfare and excited about the future of horse keeping and how we can bring about lasting change to the way we keep our horses.
I am also passionate about land management, ‘re-wilding’ and giving back more than you take away from the fauna and flora.
We have lots of exciting plans for the future and can’t wait to share them with you as they evolve.
graveneyequine 
Hi Lauren
I’ve been following your fb page for quite a while and am constantly researching all I possibly can on track systems. I am looking at purchasing a new family home which has around 2 acres of land with the eventual aim of having my horse plus a companion at home. The land is bordered entirely by trees and is largely wooded with 3 areas that I would describe as grassy clearings rather than paddocks. In your experience would this be suitable for a track or would it be impossible if there are too many trees? The land is flat and well drained. I would most likely supplement with hay or haylage all year round and also have a rolling engagement with a tree expert to maintain the trees and remove low branches etc. There are some sycamores along one side so would plan on using a paddock hoover when the seeds are falling and keeping the horses away from that area. I’m also thinking of making the central clearing a hard standing area possibly with a field shelter that could be accessed from all parts of the track. Difficult to describe without a visual but any comments or advice would be gratefully received! Thank you
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Hi Tanya, woodland can make a really interesting track of the plants within are safe. You def need to create some cleared areas though as getting a good dose of sunlight is good for the horses but also from a predatory point of view being in trees can make them nervous. They can see much further in cleared areas and feel much safer.
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