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Pastures are more than fencing and grass, at least to horse owners who care about horses.

A quality pasture is worth, well its weight in hay

 Hay prices equates to: You’ld better have a quality pasture. It just makes good horse-sense to make good use of your pasture. How do you do that?

The first thing any horse owner should do is to have a soil test done.

Check your local agriculture extension servive, or ask at a agricultural college if you have one nearby. Students are sometimes interested in doing soil test just for the lab experience.

 Make sure you have the information you need concerning the best grasses to plant for maximum nutrition for your horses. Should you seed in some clover, alfalfa? Do you know what grasses you presently have in your pasture?

Depending on the soil test results, you may need to fertilize; just make sure you keep the horses out of the pasture while you do it.

Follow all instructions on the fertilizer packaging and use a good fertilizer or lime or whatever the test result says you need.

You want to grow the best pasture possible. Make sure you eliminate any weed problems too. 

Block off the field if you will be using a herbacide.

All pastures need regular mowing. You may need to mow two or three times over a growing season. The fresher the grass the more palatible it is for the horses.

Once a month drag the pasture in order to break up piles of manure. This will help to eliminate “contaminated” areas. This will allow the manure to break down more easily as fertilizer.

Make sure that you can rotate the pastures. Do not let horses overgraze in a pasture. Make sure the pastures are level and irrigate whenever needed.

Pastures should have an adequate supply of mineral because the horses will make better use of the pasture grasses.

Pastures are a necessity when you have horses.

Horses need the outdoor time in the sun. Make sure that you keep fresh water in the trough (located in the pasture). The best place for the trough is near the gate. Clean the trough weekly.

You can also use “muck buckets”, secured to the fence and filled with clean, fresh water.

Cold Weather Pasture Care:

Manure mixed with slush or rain can turn into mire and be a real mess, so clean it up quickly.

Before the snow falls pickup and put away trotting poles, jumps or anything else that may prove hazzordous if left out and hidden by snow.

Make sure that all repairs to the pasture all done before the temps dip. Once the ice and snow hits you won’t want to be doing any fence repairs.

If you have any hollows in front of gates or doors make sure you fill them in to prevent ice hazzards.

Install water heaters in your troughs before the first freeze or the horses will not have water to drink.

Also if the water in a trough is too cold, and horses drink it, this can lead to colic caused by impaction. Use a Ground Fault indicator receptacle to plug your water heater in to.

In late fall (depending on what area you are in) fertilize and “frost seed” legumes and grasses.

Your local agricultural office can give you specific recommendations regarding how to care for your pasture during cold weather.

Previous Articles By This Author

• Buying Your First Horse
• Equipment for Horses
• Basics of Horse Care
• Grooming your Horse
• The History of Horses