The horse industry comprises many types of horse enterprises. Most enterprises can be divided into one or more of the following.
Stud breeding farm:
A stud-breeding farm standing a stallion has a great demand on its pastures in spring and summer. Visiting mares arrive as early as August and leave in January A suitable pasture for a stud-breeding farm would be a summer growing pasture that is well adapted to that area, e.g. kikuyu or lucerne, and a spring pasture, e.g. phalaris, fescue, cocksfoot, ryegrass (all or one of the preceding) and sub clover and white clover.
Because stocking rates are low in autumn and winter, this is an ideal time to get pastures and crops established for spring and summer.
Broodmare farm:
A stud farm not standing a stallion has feed requirements opposite to that of a stud-breeding complex. The mares are at the farm from February to July/August. The previous year’s yearling foals will require pasture during the summer period.
A suitable pasture in this situation is a winter growing pasture comprising phalaris, fescue, cocksfoot, ryegrass, lucerne, sub clover, and white clover, assuming these species are well adapted to the area.
Riding hacks, pleasure horses
These horses need a continuity of feed throughout the year. However, because winter is the period of poorest pasture growth it may be necessary for some form of winter pasture or winter crop to be grown or a supplementary feed provided.
During periods of feed shortage or without rotational grazing, the desirable pasture species are eaten out and the pasture deteriorates rapidly. At these times horses may be better managed by keeping them in a stable and/or yard with supplementary feed and letting them out to graze for limited periods.
Suitable species:
Grasses:
Prairie grass:
Prairie grass is very acceptable to horses. Prairie grass performs well on very fertile soils under favourable growing conditions. It will not persist under dry conditions. Some varieties have a longer growing season and are not as prone to go to seed as early as the naturalised strain of prairie grass which starts seeding in August/September.
Ryegrass:
Ryegrass is a lush, desirable, cool season pasture for horses. It requires high rainfall or irrigation, good soil fertility, and good grazing management to persist.
Phalaris:
Phalaris sown with white, red and sub clover and/or lucerne is quite acceptable for horses. It must be rotationally grazed to allow seedhead development in spring and good growth after autumn breaking rains.
Fescue:
Fescue pastures are very acceptable to horses in the first year of growth. The plants tend to become tussocky and coarse and less acceptable to horses in later years. Fescues prefer moist areas. These areas are prone to damage by horses, making management difficult.
Fescues and ryegrasses can contain endophytes. They are bred into ryegrass and fescue to improve the plants’ tolerance to insects and to improve productivity. Endophytes can affect the acceptability of the pasture, ultimately affecting livestock performance. When selecting ryegrasses and fescues check the endophyte status.
Cocksfoot:
Cocksfoot is more suited to high altitudes. It thrives in the tableland areas of New South Wales. Cocksfoot dominant pastures in South Africa have caused calcium deficiency in horses.
Kikuyu:
Kikuyu is the most common coastal NSW horse pasture because of its ability to persist. It contains an oxalate that inhibits the uptake of calcium. This deficiency can be overcome by supplementary feeding a calcium supplement (see below) or by overseeding ryegrass and clover into the kikuyu in autumn.
Couch grass:
Couch grass has often been regarded as a weed. It is very acceptable to horses, very hardy and capable of tolerating high stocking rates on poorer sandy soils.
Red clover:
Red clover has always been regarded as a most acceptable clover for horses because of its summer growth habit. Always select a low oestrogen variety as infertility has been reported in broodmares grazing high oestrogen varieties.
Subterranean clover:
Sub clover is a self-regenerating annual with winter spring growth habit. It is adapted to many horse areas. Horses readily accept subterranean clover. Some older varieties contain high oestrogen levels.
White clover:
White clovers are not readily accepted. In most cases horses prefer to graze other pasture species and weeds in the paddock. However, white clovers should be included in pasture mixes because they are widely adapted to coastal and milder inland areas.
Lucerne:
Lucerne is another popular legume for horses, more suited to non-coastal situations. To increase persistence and yield it is important that the plants are not overgrazed. Rotational grazing is especially important when managing lucerne as it allows the plant to build up energy reserves and to persist. Lucerne is susceptible to leaf spot diseases. Mares grazing lucerne or eating lucerne hay with excessive leaf spot may have fertility problems.
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