-Foraging Around, Lancaster Farming, Saturday, April 21,2001
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productive if the plants are
fed. When comparing feed
costs to maintaining a fertile,
productive pasture, a few
dollars spent on soil nutrients
is a wise investment. Your
cheapest feed is under your
horse’s hooves.
Before fertilizing, have soil
samples taken to determine
the pH of the soil and the
levels of phosphorous and po
tassium. (Note: Some horses
are prone to a genetic condi
tion called HYPP, which is
triggered by potassium
excess. Other conditions may
be caused by soil imbalances
as well.) Have a reputable
fertilizer dealer or extension
agent evaluate your soil sam
ples and recommend the best
fertilizer for your pastures.
Since horse pastures con
sist mainly of grasses, nitro
gen applications will be very
helpful. Generally it is best to
apply up to 150 pounds of ni
trogen over three applica
tions. For most regions this
means 50 pounds of N in
early spring, again in late
May or early June, and fi
nally again in September.
Also, early December is an
excellent time for a late fall
application to stimulate till
ering. It is one of the best
treatments for an overgrazed
pasture. Fertilizer applica
tions will ensure ample grass
production all season long,
keeping your pastures
healthy and prolific.
Management Step 2:
Practice Rotational Grazing
Every pasture needs a
break to regrow, recover, and
be fertilized. This can be ac
complished easily by break
ing a pasture into two or
more subpastures, using
either temporary or perma
nent fencing.
Ideally, horses should be
rotated from one pasture to
another when the pasture is
grazed down three- to four
inches and the next pasture
has grown to at least six- to
eight-inches. In the spring
there may be too much forage
growing for the horses to
keep up with. If so, the
number of acres being grazed
needs to be reduced, made
into hay, or mowed off.
In contrast, summer rota
tions will be longer, and sup
plemental hay feeding may
be needed. The more a pas
ture can be divided, the easier
it will be to manage. Portable
fencing can be very helpful
for pasture subdivisions.
Management Step #3:
Keep the Pasture Clipped
Even if you are managing
your pasture well, you may
still have times when the pas-
ture gets too long, or certain
plants remain uneaten. Not
only do horses have a “close
nipping” eating habit, but
they are also very selective of
what and where they graze.
This causes some of the pas
ture to be overgrazed, while
the rest is undergrazed.
Keeping the pasture
clipped will help reduce this
problem and keep the whole
pasture in the vegetative,
edible stage. Use the easiest,
most efficient way available
to mow down the tall grass,
weeds, and undesirable
plants. Spot spraying with a
selective herbicide can also be
helpful for weed control.
Management Step #4:
Overseed When Applicable
Even good pastures thin
out over time. New seed
should be added annually to
ensure that your pastures
produce good grass. Existing
grasses may reseed them
selves, but they probably
won’t be the ones you, or your
horses are looking for. Natu
rally, the weeds will easily
reseed and spread. Don’t
wait until the weeds take
over. Be proactive and regu
larly add quality forage
seeds.
The'best time to overseed is
either fall or spring. Fall is
preferable because the weed
pressure will be less. Ideally
you should “scratch” or dis
turb the surface enough to
ensure good seed-to-soil con
tact. Sometimes spring is too
muddy to harrow or let ani
mals trample “hoof seed.”
In parts of the country
where the ground freezes, a
simple way to add new plants
to your pasture is to “frost
seed.” This is accomplished
by overseeding when the frost
is still on the ground (usually
in early March). All you’ll
need is a broadcast spreader
and seed. Red and Ladino
clovers and some grasses (es
pecially ryegrasses) are well
adapted to this practice.
(Note: Avoid using Alsike
Clover. It has caused horses
to die from “dew poison
ing.”) Cool, wet spring condi
tions will allow for
germination and growth of
the seed.
A newly treated pasture
must be handled carefully.
The seedlings will not toler
ate grazing until approxi
mately six weeks after they
have emerged. When choos
ing seed for new pastures or
for renovating existing pas
tures, always choose an im
proved, endophyte-free and
alkaloid-free variety. When
selecting your seed species,
research Websites such as
www.pasture
perfect.com to find out what
species and varieties will
work best for you. University
forage experts, extension
agents, and vendors can also
HAY STORAGE SOLUTIONS
be very helpful. Mixes from
Ampac Seed Company were
formulated especially for this
purpose.
Horses are tough on pas
tures, but with proper man
agement, basic “horse-sense”
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and patience, you can enjoy a
successful and productive
horse pasture. Horses are
beautiful animals, and even
more so when they are graz
ing in lush, beautiful pas
tures.