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