Pasture and Hay for Horses

office for more information on pasture systems.
Pasture improvement
If you already have good stands of desirable grass and legume species you can maintain a satisfactory horse pasture with proper soil fertility and management practices. Most permanent bluegrass pastures produce less than 2000 pounds of dry matter per acre per year which is far below their potential. Yields on many pastures can be doubled simply by applying lime and fertilizer. Liming and topdressing Kentucky bluegrass pastures with phosphate potash and nitrogen costs much less and is less work than completely renovating the pasture. It may even be possible to have lime and fertilizer customapplied for a relatively low cost.
A soil test will determine pH acidity nutrient levels and requirements. Soil testing kits and information on how to take samples are available through your county extension office. The response often is slow when lime and fertilizer are applied on the surface of established pastures. Depending on the lime needs and species present in the pasture it may take one to three years for the sod to become thick and productive again.
Pasture renovation
If you do not have a good stand of desirable species you may want to renovate the pasture by destroying the existing plants and introducing productive mixtures. This process usually results in the highest yield increase per acre but will be relatively expensive to complete. The following steps are recommended for pasture renovation.
Soil test to determine exactly how much lime and fertilizer are needed.
Apply required lime several months before seeding. Disk or plow to mix lime evenly with the soil. If large amounts of fertilizer are to be applied it should be disked into the soil prior to planting. Small amounts of ertilizer can be applied through the seeder at planting.
Select a seed mixture that complements the pasture drainage characteristics Table 3.
Destroy

or suppress old pasture by plowing or using herbicides.
Use the appropriate method of seeding based on extent of tillage.
Protect the seeded area until new plants are well established. When recommended mixtures are seeded without a companion crop and weeds are controlled new seedings can become established in a single year.
While generally considered less palatable than bluegrass tall fescue produces one of the toughest sods of any adapted grass. It may be used in heavy traffic areas along fences and around gates and water troughs. Older stands of fescue often are infested with an endophyte a fungus within the plant. In mares toxins associated with this fungus can lower reproductive rates and cause abortion agalactia lack of milk and prolonged gestation. Use endophytefree tall fescue seed to establish new fescue stands for horses. Brood mares should be removed from pastures containing endophyteinfested tall fescue at least 90 days prior to foaling.
Pasture management
Whether you improve your pastures by using lime and fertilizer or renovate by reseeding sound management is essential to keep the desired species persistent and productive.
Avoid over or under grazing. Horses typically graze in spots. Unless they are moved frequently into new pastures they will seriously damage desired species in some areas. Rotational grazing is therefore desirable. While the correct acreage per horse depends on the season and other factors generally it is best to provide at least one acre of good quality pasture per horse. Set up five or six paddocks letting the horses graze in one area for about a week then move to another area. This system enables legumes and grasses to grow better increasing feed availability per acre. By rotating the horses from pasture to pasture you also can break the life cycle of some parasites.
Clip pastures regularly during the growing season. Clipping at a height