Management Initiative

LIBERATED HORSEMANSHIP

Recent advances in our understanding of how environmental factors affect physiology and behavior provide a basis to make informed decisions about horse management. Just small changes can have profound effects on a horse’s health, long-term soundness, hoof integrity, and even longevity.

Liberated Horsemanship’s Management Initiative is a broad-based effort to provide up-to-date information and cutting-edge services which can help horse owners and professional facility managers make and implement informed horse management decisions.

The Management Initiative is a multi-faceted, science-based endeavor entailing:

Innovative architectural and exterior designs which are beneficial to horses and humans and compatible with other native species of plants and animals. This is a major aspect of the Management Initiative driven by an alliance between Liberated Horsemanship and Thomas L. Croce Architects. Read more.

Educational seminars to increase public awareness about the benefits of environmental enrichment to horse health, e.g., Equine Affaire.

The publication of quality original articles about significant horse management topics, e.g., The Biology of Natural Horsemanship.

Support for and participation with organizations devoted to improving horse welfare, e.g., Friends of Sound Horses.

An equine management training program to help horse owners choose between management and use alternatives. This will be a broad-based educational program covering topics ranging from boarding, riding, training and feeding to hoof care. It will be implemented in 2010.

On-site consultations with horse owners to identify environmental and lifestyle sources of stress and laminitis/founder triggers and solutions. Now available. Contact Liberated Horsemanship for information.

Management Initiative Co-Directors

Tom Croce, Thomas L. Croce Architects. Tom will take the lead in architectural and environmental design-related matters. He is a recognized leader in equine facility master planning and design with a passion for creating facilities which are healthy, safe, comfortable, and functional.

Tom brings over 20 years of architectural and equine experience to the LH Management Initiative. He graduated with a Master of Architecture degree from Washington University in 1987. He worked successfully on numerous commercial projects including office buildings, retail centers, restaurants, churches, and municipal and health care facilities.

Then Tom started to ride. As his passion for riding grew, so did his realization that quite often horse facilities are not really designed for horses, but rather for horse owners. This

Watershed Farm

PO Box 546

Warrenton, MO 63383

Phone: 314.740.5847

Skype: LiberatedHorsemanship

Liberated Horsemanship

realization set Tom on a mission to understand how he could design and construct facilities to meet the needs of both horse and owner. He has now worked on and completed over 50 equine related projects in 16 States.

Tom is consistently used as a resource for articles published in national magazines. He has lectured on the design and construction of safe and healthy horse barns. He consulted on the preparation of the American Association of Horse Safety, Facility Guidelines. He has had barns featured in publications such as Stable Management, Thoroughbred Times, The Horse, Your Guide to Equine Health Care, and the book Ultimate Horse Barns. Tom has also published articles on Designing a Successful Equestrian Facility from The Horse’s Perspective, Fire Safe Design, Safe and Healthy Stall Design, with upcoming articles on Air Quality and Ventilation.

Tom’s expertise, experience and passion for producing horse and human friendly facilities blends uniquely with those of Bruce Nock PhD, an authority on how environment and lifestyle impacts horse physiology and behavior who has been an outspoken advocate for horse friendly training, riding and boarding practices for many years.

Tom is an active equine competitor who manages his own small farm. His background and experience provide him with a deep understanding of the importance of planning and design in the breeding, raising, and training of happy healthy horses. He is dedicated to helping people create facilities that are not only functional, but provide environments that keep their horses happy, healthy, and better able to perform their jobs. Contact: 513.934.3957 or info@tlcrocearch.com.

Bruce Nock, Ph.D., Liberated Horsemanship. Bruce will continue to oversee and support all phases of Liberated Horsemanship’s activities. He will take an active role in the Management Initiative, bringing his knowledge of how environmental and lifestyle factors affect horse physiology and behavior to the effort. Bruce is a tenured neurobiologist at Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, USA. He is the author of the acclaimed book Ten Golden Rules of Horse Training, the newly released book, Ride For Tomorrow, and 70+ published articles, including the highly regarded series The Biology of Natural Horsemanship.