Pastures and Hay Management For Horses

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Pastures and Hay ManagementFor Horses

• Gary W. Wilson, Extension Educator
• Agriculture Natural Resources
• OSU Extension, Hancock County

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Considerations when Planning Pastures or Hay
Fields

• OBJECTIVES
• Turn-out/exercise lot
• Grazing
• Supplementation
• Most of Ration
• Hay Management
• In combination with Pasture
• Can be very expensive or tough to do on small
  fields
• May need different species

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Turn-Out/Exercise Lot

• Fresh air/sunshine
• A little exercise
• Short periods of time
• No/little grazing expected
• Manage mud . . .

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Basics of Horse Nutrition

• Horses naturally use forages as a primary
  component of their diets. Adequate forage is a
  basic necessity for normal functioning of the
  horse digestive system. This requirement for
  forage is most easily supplied by pasture and hay.

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Horses Daily Consumption of Dry Matter
Mature horses will consume 2 to 2.5 of their
body weight in feed each day. For example, a
1,000 lb horse should consume approximately 20 to
25 pounds (90 dry matter) of feed per day.
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Points about Pastures

• Pastures can provide a natural, healthy
  environment and are the least expensive feed
  source.
• Well managed pastures can provide most of the
  feed requirements.
• Mature horses will consume 2 to 2.5 percent of
  their body weight per day.
• A 1000 pound horse will eat 20 to 25 pounds of
  dry matter.

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Points about Pastures

• Forage should make up one-half or more of the dry
  matter intake.
• Horses will graze up to 17 hours per day.Compare
  this to cattle, which graze only about 8
  hours/day.

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PASTURE NEEDS

• Mare with foal 1.75 - 2.0 acres
• Yearlings 1.50 - 2.0 acres
• Weanlings 0.50 - 1.0 acres

Rule of Thumb 1 horse per 2-5 acres
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PASTURE MANAGEMENT

• The goal . . .
• is to grow and use green leaves, leaving the
  forage plants in a condition to regrow rapidly
  during the rest period.

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PASTURE MANAGEMENT

• Soil test
• Lime
• Fertilize
• Weed control
• Seed

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PASTURE MANAGEMENT

• Avoid over or under grazing
• Use rotational grazing
• Develop 5 to 7 grazing paddocks
• Rotate and rest paddocks to help keep grasses and
  legumes growing

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Pasture for Grazing

• Amount of land available may dictate whether this
  is the primary or supplemental source of feed
• Determine animal units/amount of forage needed
  determine species of grasses and legumes size
  pastures and paddocks accordingly
• Develop sacrifice area
• Be prepared with additional areas or to feed hay
  in mid-late summer

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Approximate Supplementation Rates for 1100 lb
Mature Horses on Pasture
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Maturity has a greater effect on nutritive value
of forages than does any other factor
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Forage Growth Curves
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Additional Advantages of Using Pasture for Horses

• Pasture can be the cheapest source of feed
• Pasture provides sufficient fiber to the diet and
  helps control digestive problems associated with
  low fiber in the diet
• Horses tend to be healthier in general when
  allowed access to good quality pastures
• Housing in pasture for part or all of the day can
  reduce stress and improve disposition
• Mares may have earlier ovulation rates when
  grazed compared to dry lot feeding of hay

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Disadvantages of Grazing Horses

• More cases of founder, especially in ponies, in
  poorly managed pastures
• More injury from fences
• A higher susceptibility to poisonous plants
• Grazing behavior that can be detrimental to
  pasture plants when not managed properly

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Usage Decision Nutrition or Exercise
The first decision is whether to use the pasture
for exercise purposes only or as a major part of
your nutritional program. If your desire,
however, is for pasture to serve as a feed
source, other factors need to be considered
including its potential nutritional value and its
carrying capacity.
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Pasture Management
First, evaluate your current pastures to see if
they are adequate and just need better
management, or are they inadequate and need to be
renovated.
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AdequatePastures

• If pasture species and stands are adequate but
  just need better management, remember yields on
  many pastures can be doubled simply by applying
  lime and topdressing with phosphate, potash, and
  nitrogen.

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Pasture Improvementor Renovation
Step 1 Soil Test Step 2 Apply required lime
several months before the actual seeding. Some
type of tillage to incorporate lime would be
beneficial Step 3 Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and
Potassium
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Remove Horses Before Fertilizing

• Remove horses before fertilizing a pasture and
  wait until a rain before regrazing if possible.
  Sometimes, during the application process, small
  piles of fertilizer are left in a pasture. These
  piles occur mostly when the fertilizer
  distributor is stopped and some fertilizer pours
  out on the ground. The fertilizer in piles may
  be eaten by horses and could cause sickness.

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Selecting a Pasture Mixture

• 1. Keep the mixture simple.
• 2. Select a species or combination of species
  that are suitable for your environment.

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Seeding Mixtures Components

• 1. One or more long-lived grasses
• 2. A legume
• 3. A cover crop, such as annual ryegrass or
  spring oats that emerges rapidly to prevent
  erosion and to control weeds.

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Selecting a species

• If pastures are to be frequently and closely
  grazed then mixtures containing combinations of
  Kentucky Bluegrass, Orchardgrass, endophyte-free
  tall fescue, ryegrass (perennial and annual)
  and/or white clover are best.

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Selecting a Species

• Species selected for use as a horse pasture
  should be high yielding, persistent, tolerant of
  the anticipated level of management and adapted
  to the region and to the soil conditions in the
  paddock. To generalize, nearly all species of
  forage crops can be utilized for pasture,
  especially if rotational grazing is practiced.

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Species Selection Criteria

• Soils site conditions
• Production
• Management other constraints
• Compatibility in mixtures
• Growth habits

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Pure vs Mixed Seedings

• Pure Stands
• Easier management (especially for hay)

• Mixed Stands
• More satisfactory for pasture situations

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Advantages of Mixtures

• Legumes
• Provide Nitrogen
• Improve Quality
• Improve Productivity, especially in summer
  drought conditions
• Grasses
• Reduce Erosion
• Lengthen the Stand Life
• Better Weed Competition

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Species Selection for Mixtures

• Match Species with Similar
• Adaptation to Site
• Persistence
• Rate of Establishment
• Time of Maturity
• Management Requirements
• Palatability

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Forage Seed MixturesLand-a-Lakes/FFR
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Forage Seed MixturesBarenbrug
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Forage Seed MixturesAmpac Seeds
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GRAZING MANAGEMENT

• Bluegrass begin 4-6 inches leave 2-3
• Tall grasses begin 6-8 inches leave 3-4

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CONSIDERATIONS WHEN PLANNING PASTURES

• Shape and lay-out
• Gate size and placement
• Water availability
• Fencing

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Paddock Shape Lay-out

• Follow soil types and topography
• Rectangular shape better for horses
• provides more exercise area
• minimum width 20 to 40 feet
• Horses will run the fence-lines

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Gate Size and Placement

• Gates should be located in corners
• closest to the direction of travel
• Wide enough for multiple horses to get through at
  once
• Make them large enough to get equipment in
  .mowers, fertilizer buggies, maybe balers

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Water Availability

• Adequate quantity and quality of drinking water
  is an important part of the grazing plan.
• Place water troughs in the fence line near the
  middle of the paddock.

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Fencing

• Safety
• Security
• Ease of maintenance
• Ease of installation
• Cost
• Appearance

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Weed Control

• Begin renovation by controlling serious weed
  problems. The most common serious weed problems
  in pastures are thistles and brush, These can be
  controlled by repeated mowing or with a timely
  application of an appropriate herbicide. Timely
  is the key word.

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Seeding Dates for Grass Species
Sow a grass-legume mixture within time span shown
above except for a timothy-legume late-summer
seeding should be completed by Aug 15 to Sept.
1st.

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Seeding Method

• 1. Use the appropriate method of seeding
  based on extend of tillage. (firm
  seedbed)
• 2. Several ways to sow forage crops
• Grain drill with small seed legume box attached
• Brillion seeder
• No-till drill with small seed legume
• Broadcast seeder

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Seed Placement Criteria Uniform seed
distribution Precise depth Excellent seed-soil
contact
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Pasture Management

• 1. Avoid over or under grazing.
• 2. Clip pastures regularly during the growing
  season.
• 3. Drag pastures regularly during the growing
  season.
• 4. Apply fertilizer as needed.

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Grazing Behaviorof Horses

• The anatomy of the horse dictates that they will
  graze closer to the ground than most other
  species. This implies good pasture management
  through clipping and rotation must be
  accomplished to effectively use the pasture.

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Horses Selective Grazers

• Horses also tend to be more selective grazers
  than some other species. They will readily
  locate and graze the highest quality forage.
  Sward height, grazing time, and forage variety
  will be important factors in which forage will be
  grazed.

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Location of main storage sites or reserve energy
in various forage species
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Hay Harvest Management

• Summer Harvest Timing
• can generally use a 30 - 45 day schedule
• intensive cutting can be done, requires
• good fertility
• moisture
• Fall Harvest Cautions
• increased heaving potential
• increase chance of winter kill
• roots need time to build up reserves
• is the forage REALLY needed???

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HEAVING
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Hay Harvest Management Summary

• Harvest management can have an impact on forage
  quality, yield, and stand longevity
• Timely first harvest will achieve best quality
• Be cautious when making a fall harvest
• Maintain adequate fertility for stand quality

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4 Main Losses with Hay Making

• Respiration
• Mechanical
• Rain Damage
• Storage

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Hay Additives

• Chemical conditioners (drying agents) Chemicals
  applied to forage during mowing that increase the
  rate of drying.
• Hay preservatives Chemical applied at the time
  of baling that inhibits microbial growth in damp
  hay.

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Key Factors in Making Good Quality Hay

• Rapid dry down (less rain damage)
• Minimize handling (less shatter)
• Bale at proper moisture (prevent spoilage)
• Store under cover (less spoilage)

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Environmental conditions(In order of importance)

• Sunshine (radiant energy)
• Relative Humidity
• Air temperature
• Wind
• Soil moisture

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Makehay whenthe sun shines
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Plant factors affecting drying rate

• Species
• grasses dry faster than legumes
• Leaf to stem ratio
• leaves dry much faster than stems
• Stem diameter
• mature stems are thicker, dry slower

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Management factors affecting drying rate

• Cut early to maximize exposure to sun
• Mechanically condition all crops
• Spread in wide swaths
• Rake when crop is 50-60 DM
• Consider chemical conditioning

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Bale at proper DM

• Too wet spoilage
• Too dry excessive shatter losses

Small rectangular bales 20 moisture
Large round bales 18 moisture
Large rectangular bales 16 moisture
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Evaluating Hay for Horses

• Myth or Reality ?

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1) The High Level of Protein in Alfalfa will
damage my horses kidneys.

• Myth

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2) Can I feed alfalfa cubes instead of alfalfa
hay?

• Yes

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3) Alfalfa is too rich for broodmares and young
horses.

• Myth

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4) Preservative-treated hay isnt safe.

• Myth

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5) A little mold wont hurt.

• Myth

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6) Hay that has been stored in the barn for a
year or more has lost its nutrient value.

• Myth

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7) Can large round bales of alfalfa be used for
horses?

• Yes

and No
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PASTURE AND HAY MANAGEMENT

• The goal is to grow and use green leaves, leaving
  the forage plants in a condition to
  regrow rapidly during the rest period.

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