Pastures can provide feed for horses from May through September. Generally speaking, grasses prosper during the cooler days at the beginning and end of the growing season, while legumes such as alfalfa and other clovers are most productive in the warmer, midsummer months.
Additionally, legumes add protein to the pasture’s feed value and provide nitrogen for the grasses through nitrogen fixation. If you do not choose to devote a high level of management to your pastures, it may not be worth the extra expense of including legumes. Additionally, the durability of grasses helps the pasture resist extensive trampling by the horses.
When starting a new pasture, research from the University of Minnesota suggests the following mix for horses (per-acre basis):
- 8 pounds alfalfa
- 6 pounds smooth brome grass
- 2 pounds orchard grass
- 1/2 pound white clover (if desired)
Close and continuous grazing of pastures with this mix will likely result in the survival of only bluegrass and thistles. If you choose to allow your horses to continuously graze the pastures, substitute bluegrass and white clover for alfalfa. Bluegrass can withstand close grazing and forms a sod that can better tolerate horses’ hooves.
Overgrazing:
Continuous grazing, or allowing horses access to the entire pasture from spring through fall, will make existing weed problems even worse. If allowed to continuously graze a pasture, horses can seriously reduce the forages’ productivity.
Under continuous grazing, forages never get a chance to recover and outgrow the weeds. Legumes such as alfalfa and other clovers will not survive if continuously grazed. Grasses such as Kentucky bluegrass can tolerate continuous grazing but will be less productive than if managed under a rotational grazing plan.
Carefully monitor your horses’ grazing to maximize feed value. Continuous, close grazing, when horses eat the plants down to very short levels, will seriously stunt the regrowth of the plants and allow weeds such as thistles and other less desirable species such as bluegrass to get ahead of the desirable forages. Well-timed rotations through several, smaller-sized paddocks will help desirable plants re-establish themselves.
Water:
Like urban lawns and other field crops, horse pastures benefit from adequate water throughout the growing season. However, purchasing and maintaining irrigation equipment can be much more costly than occasionally purchasing supplemental forage. Healthy plants that have not been overgrazed will be more productive during drought.
Pasture Management Summary:
Table 4 summarizes management activities for grass pastures. Well-managed grass/legume pastures will not need supplemental nitrogen. After you have gotten to know how much your horses’ grazing reduces the soil nutrients, you will not need to annually test your soil.
Can grazing legumes lead to bloat?
Pastures with a large percentage of legumes can lead to bloat. To help prevent bloat, introduce horses to fresh, lush grass/ legume pasture a little bit at a time. Do not turn hungry horses into a lush grass/legume pasture. Provide dry hay and plenty of salt and water to newly pastured horses.
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