One of the most soothing sights for a horse owner is a herd of horses meandering along rolling green fields, and peacefully munching on nutrient-rich grass. Not only does a healthy pasture provide great exercise, a natural environment, and an abundance of nutrients, according to the USDA, horses given pasture time have a better disposition than those kept mainly in stalls. Mares allowed to graze have even been shown to ovulate up to seven days earlier than mares that are kept on dry lots and fed hay. Furthermore, pastures that are properly maintained are the least-expensive means of feeding horses.
While purchasing hay might never be a thing of the past, prolonging the life of a pasture can ultimately save horse owners money by reducing the amount of hay bought each year. Grazing alone is not always a sufficient diet for every horse and not every pasture is nutrient-rich, so it is recommended that horse owners get professional help from a nutritionist when determining their horse’s diet. Here are some methods to getting the most out of a pasture in every season throughout the year.

Spring Into Action!
The buds are popping, the rain is soaking, and the pastures have a hint of lush green that make the horses swoon in anticipation. Hold it right there! Many owners can’t wait to switch their horses over from their well-invested hay into a grassy free-for-all, but that’s not going to save money in the long run. Dr. Krishona Martinson, Equine Extension Specialist at the University of Minnesota, says it’s important to wait for the grass to reach at least six inches in height before turning the horses out.
“The spring is the second best time to perform basic maintenance,” explains Dr. Martinson. This means, weed control, reseeding, and fertilizing – the fall being the best season. Although, for horse owners of the southern states from Texas to Florida, and possibly as far north as North Carolina, spring will be the number one season to start managing because the warm season grasses will begin growing in the spring to late spring and complete growth in the early fall. For all regions, starting off on the right hoof each year means taking care of all necessary maintenance before letting the horses damage any work done previously.
One of the first steps is fertilizing, which is done after a sample of soil has been tested in the fall. Dr. Martinson recommends fertilizing the pasture gradually rather than all at once. Fertilize at the beginning of the season so that the first showers will soak the nutrients into the soil. This will give the soil more time to absorb the fertilizer. She also mentions that sandy soil is less likely to hold the fertilizer during a heavy rain, so multiple fertilizing will increase the chances of absorption for sandy soil as well. Once the fertilizer has been absorbed and the grass reaches a height of at least six inches, then the horses can be allowed to graze.
Dr. David Freeman, State Cooperative Extension Equine Specialist and Professor at the Animal Science department of the University of Oklahoma, fertilizing correctly depends on timing. Fertilizing too soon will result in providing nutrients to weeds that can overrun the pasture. Yet wait too long and the plants won’t absorb the nutrients. Dr. Freeman says managing a pasture means catering to the particular grass that thrives in a particular region. Using the grass’s needs as a starting point can help determine when it will grow, how long it will last, and exactly what fertilizer it requires.
Dr. Martinson stresses the importance of having multiple turnout options and at least one dry lot. This rotation will allow the pasture to have time to recuperate before the horses eat the grass down to the ground, potentially killing it. A dry lot or sacrifice lot can be an exercise paddock or riding ring. It’s an area where grass won’t be expected to grow and it is ideally located on an elevated piece of land to prevent mud and encourage drainage. For particularly wet areas, the USDA suggests purchasing commercial erosion-control pads or geo-textile fabric to be placed in the dry lot and covered with soil or other materials.
This time away from the pasture is the perfect opportunity to do some weed control. During the spring, continuous rain means faster growth for grass as well as weeds that can quickly take control of a pasture. Dr. Martinson suggests mowing. “Let them graze first until the grass is about three or four inches and then you would mow it off – never less than three inches – in places where they defecated or don’t prefer to eat. The mowing controls the weeds and also evens up the pasture, so when it reaches that six inches again you can put them back out,” says Dr. Martinson.
Mowing also keeps the grass in the vegetative growth stage, which is its state of greatest digestibility, palatability, and maximum nutrition. This younger plant will have more leaves than stems and two to three times more nutrients. The stems tend to be more fibrous and less digestible.
“You don’t want to let them eat the grasses down,” says Dr. Martinson. She says there are two main reasons why letting horses over-graze is detrimental. “For the health of the plants. They need some leafy area to produce photosynthesis to live,” she explains. “And for the health of the horse. Sugars really accumulate at the bottom of the plant. That’s especially why. You don’t want them to over consume that high sugar. The horse gets more fiber in the leafy part of the plant.”
It is important to also note that horses that have not grazed throughout the winter should not be allowed to graze for more than fifteen minutes on the first day, according to Dr. Martinson. The USDA recommends that horse owners feed their horses a normal ration of hay prior to being allowed to graze. After the initial hour, 15-30 minutes of grazing can be slowly added over a two-week period until the desired turnout length is achieved. This is essential to the horse’s health, as abrupt changes to a horse’s diet can cause colic or obstruction to a horse’s digestive tract as well as laminitis or founder due to exposure to the high sugar content.

Summer Days
“Summer is really the time to keep an eye on the sky,” says Dr. Martinson. She says its best to watch the weather and be prepared for heavy rain or long periods of drought. Unlike the wet months of spring, the summer brings more erratic weather that could keep the horses out of the pasture for a month rather than a week. “You don’t want the horses out there muddying up the pasture, or burning it up. Now is the time to watch the weather conditions,” she says. Letting horses tramp around the pasture after a heavy rain when the ground is soft will easily tear up a healthy growth. Conversely, letting horses eat down to the roots of a dry pasture will quickly burn up a pasture.
According to the USDA, when plants lose their leaves, they begin taking nutrients from their root reserves. Yet only five percent of plant food is taken from the soil so these reserves can easily be depleted if the plant is not given time to grow. The other 95% of plant food is taken from the air, which means they rely mostly on their leaves to survive. When a plant has a short top, it means their roots are shorter too, as it has less nutrients to pull from for growth, this makes the plant vulnerable.
“You should have a good rotational system,” Dr. Martinson reiterates. Having the horses off the pasture will give the perfect opportunity to mow, drag, and manage weeds. “Dragging breaks up the manure clumps as well as the parasite cycle allowing the eggs in the manure to be more exposed to the sun,” she explains. After a few heavy rains to soak the manure and allow it to break down into the soil as the grass grows, the horses will be ready for grazing again.
“It would be really nice if each horse owner had two paddocks and a dry lot. In the spring the pasture is growing faster, usually ready every seven to ten days. In the summer it could be 30 days before it grows to six to eight inches, so it’s very critical to have that dry lot and at least two pastures if you possibly can,” Dr. Martinson explains.
The USDA recommends that the minimum number of paddocks be four in order to have an effective rotational system, with 12 or more being even better. This can easily be done using temporary electric fencing that is meant specifically for horses, and easily visible. These divided pastures can be as small as a half an acre for two horses, which means a four-acre pasture, can be divided into eight rotational paddocks.

Fall Preparation
As the fall season approaches, the cool season plant growth slows as they prepare for the winter months. For those horse owners living in a more temperate climate, the winter may not mean the end of grazing, but there is still much to be done in preparation for the following season.
Fall is the time to maintain as well as increase the pasture’s growth. For cool season grasses of the North, it is an opportunity to re-seed areas that have thinned over the year or if necessary seed the entire pasture. The fall is ideal for seeding because Dr. Martinson says there will be less weed competition, cooler temperatures, and more rainfall.
“In the fall, you’re going to be dealing with the cool season type grasses. You need to know what your goal is, that soil testing and plant identification is very important before you go and haphazardly put down fertilizer,” explains Dr. Freeman. Horse owners need to establish what forage will be grown and for what purpose, (i.e. nutritional value, life span, variety, etc.) before fertilizing the soil. Dr. Freeman says fertilizing without knowing if it will help the desirable grasses could potentially provide food for weeds and encourage their growth instead.
Horse owners will want to test their soil and correct acidic levels by liming. “It’s cheaper to buy fertilizer for your pasture than to buy hay through the summer when your horses could be grazing,” says Dr. Martinson. She recommends testing soil every three years, which can cost anywhere from $10 to $15. “That’s a three to five dollar investment for your horse pasture each year.”
This season may also require some use of herbicide to kill off weeds that have spread throughout the spring and summer months. Dr. Martinson advises that a broad leaf herbicide be used so that it will not kill the grass. Also take care to read the safety precautions for the minimum amount of days to wait before allowing the horses to graze. “Most herbicides have a grazing restriction of anywhere from seven to 30 days,” says Dr. Martinson.
“Identify the herbicides that are going to work and where they’re not going to cause damage to the existing grasses,” says Dr. Freeman, “The most common thing that I’ve seen done is they don’t know what chemicals or fertilizer they should use because they haven’t done any testing from someone that knows how. That’s extremely important.” Chemicals can be damaging to both plants and animals, so those who are not sure what to use should consult a professional. This is especially true for use on a horse pasture where animals will be grazing, not all herbicides are recommended for this use.
For those planting a crop in the fall that will become new growth for the winter months, pay attention to any infestations of armyworms, cutworms, and other insects. These will show damage to the crop by leaf discoloration.

Winter Wonderland
If the winter months mean about two feet of fluffy white covering that once lush field, then it’s time to pull out the hay bales and let the pasture hibernate till spring. Horse owners that can’t use their pastures year-round might find it tempting to let their horses into the pasture anyway during the winter months, but Dr. Martinson advises against it.
“A lot of horse traffic in the winter when the plants and soil are frozen can cause the crown of the grass to be damaged,” she explains. Horses also have a tendency to dig down to frozen grasses that may appear dead, but are simply dormant. This is damaging to the plant along with the horse, because this frozen grass can be very high in sugar. Also, damaging the crown of the plant, where new growth occurs, can be a major setback when spring arrives.
The greatest challenge when growing grass during the winter is maintaining enough moisture and plant nutrition in the soil. Dr. Freeman says that depending on the regional location, a winter pasture can add 60 to 90 days worth of grazing to warm season pastures. The length of grazing for a winter pasture will depend on the grass as well as the climate and Dr. Freeman suggests visiting the local cooperative extension so that horse owners will know exactly what grass will grow best in their region.
Similar to the summer season, areas with a more moderate climate will continue to manage their pasture warm season grasses by mowing, dragging, and rotating grazing. Dr. Freeman stresses the importance of grazing pressure and allowing grass the time it needs to recover no matter what season the pasture is in. “Without the use of grazing management, the other pieces of this management plan won’t do what you want them to,” he says.

Job Well Done
The care of a pasture may initially take some planning and organization, but ultimately will save horse owners the cost of purchasing additional feeds. Horses will appreciate the time spent in their natural state, and if maintained properly, can attain a well-rounded diet from the pasture alone. With the rising cost of hay and feed, pasture management can be a great alternative for a healthier horse.
For more information on the National Resources Conservation Service and the United States Department of Agriculture visit www.nrcs.usda.gov.