| A major part of a horse's diet is hay or pasture. | | | | pasture. However, pasture has several |
| A horse weighing 1000 pounds will eat about 500 | | | | advantages as it is the natural feed for horses, |
| pounds each month. A horse needs roughly 28 | | | | reduces the cost of feeding, provides your horse |
| acres of non-irrigated, dryland pasture a year if | | | | with exercise, and generally speaking, horses are |
| that is the only source of forage. However, a | | | | usually healthier when kept outside on pasture. |
| pasture that is irrigated will grow more forage | | | | Establishing and maintaining a productive pasture is |
| than dryland pasture, requiring less acreage. The | | | | not too difficult. A few dollars spent on soil |
| amount of irrigated pasture needed for one horse | | | | nutrients for your pasture is a good investment. |
| is roughly 1 to 2 acres. | | | | Fertilizer will help your pasture to become more |
| Two acres of pasture for each horse are | | | | productive and produce more forage. Fertilizer |
| recommended. One acre of pasture will provide | | | | costs will generally be offset from good pasture |
| adequate grazing, but requires more pasture | | | | rotating and from savings in feed costs for hay |
| management. Manage your pasture as you would | | | | and grain supplements. |
| with any crop with soil testing, fertilizing, and | | | | Mowing is also important of pasture management. |
| managing manure. Horses will not eat trampled | | | | It minimizes the spread of weeds to help maintain |
| grass or grass with manure on it. Horses will also | | | | higher quality forage. Mowing weeds before seed |
| overgraze smaller areas very quickly. Therefore, | | | | heads are produced limits the spread of weeds. |
| a combination of pasture and small lot or barn is | | | | Grass should be mowed to 3-4 inches. |
| needed to help minimize overgrazing. | | | | No matter how well you manage your pasture, it |
| Do not let horses overgraze the pasture as this | | | | will most likely thin. To help ensure pasture |
| can cause grass to no longer grow. Keep pasture | | | | continues to produce good grass, new forage |
| grass healthy--overgrazed pasture may never | | | | seed should be spread every year. It is |
| recover. To allow for re-growth, leave about 1/3 | | | | recommended re-seeding be done in the spring or |
| of the grass uneaten at any given time. The | | | | fall. In the spring, wet conditions will allow for |
| horse can be confined to the lot or barn and only | | | | germination and growth, but only if it is not too |
| allowed to graze for a few hours a day, reducing | | | | wet or muddy. In the fall, there will be less |
| damage to a small pasture. Rotational pasture lots | | | | competition from weeds. Grazing should not be |
| are one key to using small acreage pasture space | | | | allowed on new grass seedlings for approximately |
| to the fullest potential. Portable electric fencing | | | | 6 to 8 weeks after emerging from the ground to |
| provides an efficient and economic way to | | | | allow for proper root growth. |
| partition you pasture. Over-supplementing your | | | | Caution! Turning your horse out on green lush |
| horse with hay and grain will not prevent your | | | | pasture before conditioning him to a change in diet |
| horse from overgrazing. | | | | is dangerous and can result in sickness or possibly |
| Pasture grazing is not absolutely necessary for a | | | | death. Start your horse out slowly by letting him |
| horse. A nice green pasture is not always a | | | | graze for few minutes each day and gradually |
| reality. Horses can be properly fed without | | | | increase to a few hours each day. |