Oh, the joys of spring: birds migrating back, grasses starting to green up, blowing winds, extreme weather changes and yes, mud! There are very few of us that can escape the wrath of soil mixed with excessive amounts of water, otherwise known as mud.
For livestock owners, this is a critical time of year when we must manage our land the best we can. As a horse owner, I know the challenges many horse owners face when it comes to “doing the right thing.” It’s not that anyone deliberately manages their land improperly. Maybe they don’t know any better, maybe they don’t have the finances or maybe they don’t have the resources.
So, for those that don’t know any better, here are a few best management practices, commonly referred to as BMPs, that can help horse owners keep their pastures and fields in the best condition possible.
Limit turn out
First of all, this time of year, horses should NOT be turned out in a wet pasture. Yes, this sounds crazy to horse owners. If you don’t want to keep them off the pasture, or if you have to turn your horses outside, you should establish a “sacrifice area” turn-out. Best case scenario would be an all-weather paddock, created by removing the topsoil, lining it with a geo-textile fabric and then top dressing it with gravel or crushed limestone.
The paddock should be cleaned of manure occasionally, so it doesn’t eventually turn into a manure/mud lot. Whatever sacrifice area you choose to let your horses out in, remember those four-legged, 1,000-pound eating machines will easily tear up any sod or grass you might have in the pasture.
You may have to feed hay in the sacrifice area while the soil is soft. The sacrifice area that will probably have mud and manure runoff should definitely have some type of vegetative buffer (grass) around it so the potential for polluted runoff is minimized.
So, when can you turn your horses out? Only you will know. Walk the pasture; make sure it is firm, not soft and wet, and that the grass has gotten a good growth or started before those munching mouths attack it. Typically, that is late April or early May. It all depends on the weather. If you resist the temptation to turn out now, the forages and condition of your pasture will be worth it.
Pasture care
Does your pasture need renovation, fencing or some seeding? If you need or want to seed or renovate your pasture, now is the time to do that. Prior to any seeding, I recommend taking a soil sample and treating your soil because forages need fertilizer and proper pH to grow. If you soil test, do what the soil lab recommends, and if you haven’t had soil testing, you can just go with triple 19 or triple 12 type fertilizers.
The best time to fertilize your pastures is early spring when the grass starts to green up, at least around Mid-May. As mentioned before, give your grasses and legumes a starting chance and keep the hooves and nipping teeth off for a while.
Rotational graze
Another BMP that horse owners should consider is rotational grazing. I know this all comes down to the cost and labor of more fencing and limited land, but it is a worthwhile investment.
Whatever acreage you have for pasture now, try to at least divide it. It would be best if you had three to four pastures, but the main concern is allowing the pastures to rest. Resting pastures allows plants to replenish food reserves.
Let the animals graze the pasture down to about 4 inches, then take them off the pasture. Why 4 inches and not all the way down? Because the plants need the residual to grow, to maintain the process of photosynthesis. Leaving plenty of leaf area results in faster regrowth and helps maintain a vigorous sod.
Since horses tend to graze some areas closer than others, you should also mow or clip the entire pasture at 4 inches. Turn them back out when the pasture grasses and legumes are at a height of about 8 to 10 inches.
In the spring, when cool season grasses are growing rapidly, the rest periods will be shorter. In mid-summer, when plant growth is slower, the rest period will be longer. You are the keeper of your land, so you will be the one to know how to properly manage what you have.
Manage your pastures
There are some key points that not only horse owners, but owners of other types of livestock should consider in terms of pasture management. It sounds simple, but in reality, we just try to do the best we can with what we have.
Prioritize and make room in your budget to try to do at least one best management practice this year for your horses and your land. You will be happy with the results.
For more equine educational materials, you can check out Wayne SWCD’s website at wayneswcd.org/home/equine-education.
