How to create lush, green pastures and say goodbye to weeds! Picture your horse farm in summer: Your horses are out enjoying the lush green grass and you and your neighbors take pleasure in this beautiful scene. You re pleased, not just because your horses and neighbors are happy, but because you know your horses are benefiting from healthy forage and you re saving money with reduced hay bills. In this scenario the environment wins also; the abundant grass absorbs nutrients from manure and grass roots hold soil in place, preventing erosion. That s your farm in summer, right? Or maybe the grass isn t quite so lush and there are a few more weeds in the picture? And maybe your neighbors aren t so happy about the dust coming from your place? If your pastures could be a bit more ideal than they are now, here are five steps you can take to improve your pastures, no matter how many acres you have. 1 Create a Sacrifice Area It is crucial to keep horses off pastures during the winter when grass plants are dormant (not growing) and the ground is wet and soggy. Allowing horses to graze year round can destroy pastures. There are two main reasons for this: First, if horses continue to graze during the winter when grass is not growing, they will inevitably graze at least some areas to the point where the grass is very short, often down to the ground. Like all plants, grass plants need their leaves to gather energy from the sun in order to grow and make food (stored in the roots). You can think of the bottom three inches of the grass blade as the energy collector. When horses graze to the point that the grass is left shorter than three inches, the grass plant can no longer make its own food and instead takes food from its reserves the roots. Eventually the grass plant will run out of the stored reserves in its roots and die. Remember the Golden Rule of Grazing: Keep grass at least three inches tall!
Maybe you re thinking: What if I manage grazing during the winter and make sure the grass is at least three inches tall, I can still let my horses graze, right? Well, there s a second reason for keeping horses off pastures during the winter. During the winter, the ground is wet and soggy from the rain. When horses step continually on soggy ground, the soil is compacted, squeezing out the pockets of air in the soil. Plants need air in the soil so their roots can breathe and grow. They also need these pockets of air so water has a place to soak into the soil and reach the roots. When the soil doesn t have space for air and water, grass plants have a hard time growing. In the summer, the ground is much harder and drier. When your horse steps on dry pastures, the soil doesn t squish together like it does in the winter when the ground is wet. To protect pastures during the winter and early spring, keep horses in a sacrifice area. A sacrifice area is a small enclosure, such as a corral, paddock, run, or pen that is your horse s outdoor living quarters during the winter. It is called a sacrifice area because you are giving up the use of that small portion of land as a grassy area to benefit the rest of your pastures. Your horses should be confined to the sacrifice area during the winter and early spring when grass plants are dormant and soils are wet. In the summer you can also use the sacrifice area to keep your pastures from becoming overgrazed (never below 3 or 4 inches) and to keep your horses for becoming overweight. (For more information, purchase Creating the Sacrifice Area Tip Sheet from the Horses For Clean Water web site at http://www.horsesforcleanwater.com/.) 2 Use Rotational Grazing If you look around your pastures, you ll probably find that there are sections where your horses have grazed the grass down close to the ground and other sections where the grass is very tall. Horses are picky eaters they like to eat the short grass because it is much sweeter and more tender than the tall grass. If you let horses out onto a pasture to graze, they will often eat the short, tender grass all the way down to the ground and as soon as it re-grows, they will go back and eat it again. As we discussed in the last section, grass needs a chance to grow and collect energy in order to survive. If horses keep returning to that short grass and eating it down to the ground, the grass will eventually die. Rotational grazing is a technique you can use to keep your horses from overgrazing these sections of pasture. Rotational grazing just means that you take a pasture, divide it into sections, and rotate the areas your horses use for grazing. To
use a rotational grazing system, start by dividing your pasture into several smaller areas, or maybe just in half. Temporary fencing is especially useful for accomplishing this. The easiest, least expensive and safest type of temporary fencing is the electric poly tape (or a similar product). This plastic tape has aluminum fibers woven through it so it will conduct electricity. Use this along with some type of step-in post three or four feet tall plastic or fiberglass posts easily inserted in the ground. Both the tape and the step-in posts can be purchased at most feed stores or from farm supply catalogues. To electrify the temporary fence simply connect it to your existing hot wire system or use a waterproof battery fence charger (also sold at feed stores or through catalogues). For a small pasture you might divide it in half or thirds, for larger pastures try breaking it into four to six sections. When most of the grass in the first area has been grazed down to about three inches, move your horses on to the next section of pasture. Once the grass in the first area has re-grown to at least six inches (this usually takes two to six weeks during the spring, summer and fall) you can let your horses begin grazing that area again. By rotating horses off one section of pasture and onto another gives the grass in each section time to re-grow. Think of rotational grazing as giving your grass a rest period. Giving grass plants this rest period allows them the time they need to collect energy and store food in their roots. Here s a simple scenario for a pasture that has been divided in half: Put your horse in Pasture 1 (where the grass is at least six inches tall). Allow your horse to graze in this pasture until most of the grass is about three inches tall. Move your horse into Pasture 2. Again, let your horse graze in this pasture until most of the grass is about three inches tall. Once the grass in Pasture 2 has been grazed down to three inches, check Pasture 1 to see if the grass has re-grown to at least six inches. (This usually takes two to six weeks during the spring, summer and fall.) If it has, you can move your horse back into Pasture 1. If it hasn t, keep your horse in your sacrifice area until the grass has had a chance to re-grow.
Another important part of rotational grazing is determining how long to graze your horses each day. How much time you put them out depends on the following variables: how much land you have, how many horses you have, their age, weight, breed, and if they are already adjusted to eating pasture. For most folks, once horses are accustomed to pasture, you can let them graze for two to four hours once or twice a day. If you are fortunate enough to have productive pastures or a low stocking rate (horses per acre) you may be able to work up to six hours of grazing time. Be very careful to not allow your horse to become overweight or to eat too much grass when they are not accustomed to it. Always begin spring grazing time gradually. Too much time in a pasture during the spring when grasses are especially rich can cause serious health problems. If you have any questions on this consult your veterinarian for his or her recommendations on the amount of grazing time recommended for your horse. For my horses I have observed that it takes about 2 hours for them to consume a meal so I use that as a guideline. Here is a sample of the grazing routine I use on our farm. At the beginning of the grazing season (about mid-april) I gradually begin pasture-grazing time with my horses. I start with about an hour of grazing time and over a period of a month or more I work up to 2-3 hours per horse. By mid-june I usually have all horses grazing 2 times a day (morning and late afternoon) for about 3 hours each time. They still get a third (but smaller) feeding of hay in the late evening. Modify your own grazing routine to fit your horses, farm and schedule. You can choose to put them out once or twice a day, before or after work, or whenever it s convenient for you. 3 Mow Pastures Once an area has been grazed down to about three inches, it is time for you to get out your lawn or pasture mower. As we ve mentioned already, horses are selective grazers, eating some plants close to the ground and leaving others untouched. Mowing evens the playing field by cutting the tall plants down to a size where they are more palatable. It also encourages grass plants to produce more leaves, making the plant stand thicker. Also, mowing is a very important weed management technique since most weeds cannot withstand mowing. Set your mower deck at four to six inches and have at it!
4 Harrow Pastures After mowing, harrow (or drag) the pasture area to spread manure. Harrowing breaks up manure so plants can use the nutrients and organic materials. To accomplish this you can pull a harrow with your tractor or riding lawn mower. Or, you can simply take a manure fork and spread manure by hand. A wide variety of harrows can be purchased from farm and tractor supply stores or catalogs, or you can look in the back of horse magazines. Harrows with teeth or tines are more aggressive and can be adjusted to have more of a ripping effect on the ground. A basic harrow can also be simply made a discarded piece of chain-link fence with two old tires tied down for weight works well. An old metal bedspring, metal gate or similar item may also work. A good time to spread seed is after harrowing. If you have any bare spots or severely overgrazed areas practice the green band aid approach of sprinkling pasture seeds over the area. Bare spots are an open invitation for weeds the sooner you can get grass growing in these areas the less likely it is that you ll end up with weeds. 5 Soil Testing, Fertilizer and Lime Another pasture management technique is to have a soil test done for your pastures and apply lime and fertilizer accordingly. By following the soil test results you will reduce the chance of applying too much. It is a common mistake to use too much fertilizer and the end result is that you ve wasted your money and the excess fertilizer ends up in nearby streams and lakes. When nutrients from fertilizers end up in our water it increases the growth of aquatic weeds like algae. Algae uses up the oxygen needed by fish and can impact swimming and other water recreation. Remember that just because it s spring doesn t mean it s necessarily time to fertilize. The best way to find out if your pastures actually need to be fertilized is to get a soil test at least once a year. By finding out what your soil needs you will be able choose a fertilizer with the right amount of nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium. Many fertilizers are high in nitrogen and that may not be what your grass plants need. Nitrogen promotes plant growth but in the spring most plants are going to grow vigorously on their own. Soil testing is relatively inexpensive and you can get a list of soil testing labs from your local Conservation District (visit http:// www.horsesforcleanwater.com/ for a link to find your local CD). Your local Conservation District should also be able to give you some hints on the best way to take a soil sample. If you do find that you need to fertilize, fertilizing in mid-spring and/or late fall should be plenty. While using fertilizer may be unnecessary, using lime is often crucial for those of us living in the Northwest. Most soils in the Northwest are acidic and if the ph is wrong, many of the nutrients in the soil cannot be used by the plant. In fact, overusing fertilizer can further acidify the soil. Using lime will do a number of things: it will increase the effectiveness of any fertilizers you apply; it encourages the activity of soil bacteria thus releasing valuable nutrients such as nitrogen, phos-
phorus, and sulfur; and it will supply calcium and magnesium. After you spread lime, it may look like you just fertilized because you ve suddenly made the nitrogen and other nutrients available to your grass plants. By utilizing these pasture management techniques you will be creating healthier, more productive pastures, which means less money spent on supplemental feed. Healthy pastures also have the added benefit of making happier, healthier horses, a prettier picture for you and your neighbors and a cleaner environment for all. Good horsekeeping to you! Horses for Clean Water (HCW) is a program run and supported by horseowners promoting environmentally sensitive horsekeeping. HCW offers classes, workshops and farm tours on topics such as mud, manure and pasture management, composting, wildlife enhancement, horse health, preparing your horse farm for winter, and more! HCW also offers educational materials and products for sale and individual farm consultations. For more on HCW educational opportunities, or to be added to the listserv and receive information, including the monthly e-newsletter The Green Horse, about future educational events visit the HCW website at http://ww.horsesforcleanwater.com. The Green Horse archives of past issues are also available on the web site for browsing. Additionally, you will find links to specific products with various affiliate programs that the HCW staff members recommend. Purchasing through those links helps to support HCW programs.