In This Chapter
If you’re fortunate enough to have a lot of land at your disposal and are also a stickler about your horse’s health and nutrition, this is the chapter for you! Growing food for your horses is a rewarding pastime, and your equine buddies will be happier and healthier for the experience. You’ll save yourself a bundle of money on feed, too.
In this chapter, we tell you how
to grow your own pasture and how to maintain it. We also educate you on the
ways of turning that pasture into hay that you can store away for winter
months. When you’re done reading this chapter, you’ll have a good idea of
what’s involved in being a self-sufficient horse owner.
Before You Begin: The Basics of Growing Food for Horses
Horses love pasture. It’s not
only good for them nutritionally, but it also satisfies their ever-burning need
to graze. Wild horses are constantly browsing for food in their environment,
and domestic horses who are robbed of this activity can suffer both physically
and emotionally from this loss.
Of course, to grow good pasture
(or good hay, for that matter), you have to know what you’re doing. Your
horse’s very life depends on it. Fortunately, it’s not that hard, and after you
figure out how to do it, you’ll find that it becomes an enjoyable part of your
regular routine. In the following sections, we cover some basics for you to
consider before you take the plunge and start growing food for your horse.
The benefits of growing food
Remember
The best thing about pasture is that it gives the horse a chance to do what comes naturally to him: graze! Because a pasture is the most natural environment for your horse, it’s what he would prefer. So if you have a choice, let your horse graze on pasture instead of cutting it, or make it into hay, at least for part of the year. If you live in a cold climate where pastures just don’t grow in the wintertime due to a deep freeze (and most people in the U.S. do), you’ll have to feed your horse hay anyway for a part of the year. You can either grow that hay yourself or buy it from another source.
Additional benefits of growing
pasture include the following:
- Growing pasture saves you money on hay. If you decide to cut your pasture and turn it into hay, you need the right equipment and manpower to get the job done. See the later section “Harvesting Hay for the Future” to find out exactly what this process entails.
- Growing pasture is less work. You don’t have to feed your horses every morning if they’re on fully sustainable pasture — they feed themselves.
- Pasture saves you money on vet bills in the long run. Pasture-kept horses have fewer problems with colic and lameness. You may even save time and money on training too. Horses who live in pastures have fewer behavioral problems than stall-kept horses.
A hard look at the responsibilities of growing food
Remember
Before you run out and plant a pasture, it’s important to realize that taking on this venture requires considerable care and maintenance. You can’t just turn your horse loose in a field full of plants and think that you have your horse on pasture. You have to make sure that the right plants are growing in the field, and you have to fertilize and irrigate the field, rotate the pasture, clean the pasture, and keep a close eye on it to make sure that it’s producing the right type of nutrition for your horse. (Don’t worry; we explain how to do all these tasks later in this chapter.)
Turning pasture into hay for your
horse requires additional work. You need to cut, bale, and store the hay, which
means you need the equipment to do these tasks or you must hire someone to do
them for you. See “Harvesting Hay for the Future” in this chapter for more
information on growing hay.
Remember
If you aren’t willing or able to commit to this kind of workload, reconsider your ideas about keeping your horse on pasture. You can always go back to it later when the time is right.
Starting and Maintaining a Pasture
In order to grow a pasture and
keep it in good shape, you have to maintain it. This maintenance takes work, so
be prepared. After you take in all the information in the following sections,
think long and hard about whether you want to get involved in this endeavor.
It’s rewarding, but it does require real commitment.
Remember
A new pasture can take a couple of years to mature enough to accommodate grazing horses, so be patient.
The stuff you need before you do anything
In order to successfully keep
horses on pasture, you need some basic things. These basics include:
- Land: You can grow pasture on as much as 40 acres of land or as little as 40 square feet of land — and everything in between (see the nearby sidebar “Hope for the pasture challenged”). But you do need soil that’s workable in order to pull it off. Ask your county extension agent to evaluate your soil for workability.
- Fencing: You need good fencing materials and secure gates if you hope to keep your horse safely in a pasture. You can use any type of fencing that’s suitable for horses (pipe, no-climb woven wire, wood, PVC). Get the best fence that you can afford. Never use barbed wire for horses — they can easily become tangled in it and seriously injured.
Hope for the pasture challenged
Many people don’t have room on their property for
a proper pasture. You may be working with an acre or less of land, and just
don’t have room for one or two pastures to sustain your horse. If this is the
case, don’t despair. You can still give your horse the opportunity to indulge
his natural instincts to graze. Simply create a small area that your horse
can use as “pasture,” even for just an hour or two daily.
When coauthor Dr. Kate lived in Las Vegas — which
isn’t an area that’s known for acres of lush green pastures — she planted a
60 x 60 foot square area of Bermuda grass and watered it with a simple garden
hose sprinkler. She let each of her five horses have about an hour daily in
that area. When the pasture began to look overgrazed, she cut back on the
time the horses spent there.
Because it was a small area, Dr. Kate rented an aerator
once a year to keep the soil from becoming compacted and to make sure that it
remained productive. She also kept the area fertilized and watered for
optimum productivity. Even though it was only a small area, Dr. Kate’s horses
really looked forward to their grazing time.
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Remember
After your fencing is installed, you need to walk it frequently to look for holes, sagging, or any damage or problems that could be hazardous to your horse.
- Irrigation: Unless you live in a tropical rainforest, you have to water your pasture on a regular basis. Plan this out ahead of time. (See the section “Irrigating” later in this chapter for details.)
Make sure that you plan for all
these necessities before you establish your pasture. You want to be prepared
before the pasture starts growing.
Deciding what to plant
The types of forage you’re able
to grow depend on your geographic location, how much average rainfall you get,
and which grasses are most resistant to local insect pests. (If you have an
irrigation system, rainfall will be less of an issue for you when you’re
determining what to plant.)
Grow a combination of forages in
your pastures so that your horse has a variety. Each species of grass will grow
and be most productive at different times during the season. And if you add
legumes to your pasture, in addition to grass, you fix nitrogen into the soil
too.
Tip
To discover the best pasture grasses to grow in your particular area, consult with your USDA Cooperative Extension System agent. (See the appendix for the address of the USDA Cooperative Extension System office’s Web site.) This individual can give you great advice about what grows well where you live, as well as what kind of treatment you need to give your soil for optimum pasture nutrition.
Letting your horse mow your lawn
Although it may be tempting to toss grass
clippings to your horse after you mow your lawn, resist the urge! The size of
grass clippings is too short for your horse to chew. The result is that the
clippings can easily wad up into a ball in the esophagus and cause the horse
to choke. Instead, let your horse mow the lawn for you with his teeth.
Horse-proof your lawn first by looking for anything your horse could cut or scrape
himself on, and make certain that you fertilize only with organic fertilizer.
Don’t use insecticides on your lawn, either. You may need to replace your
sprinkler heads with industrial strength versions, but your horse will love
you for the opportunity to help with gardening chores.
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Preparing the ground
Before you can plant your
pasture, you need to prepare the soil. Unless you have all the equipment on
hand to do this, you may want to hire someone to do it for you (such as a
neighbor who works his own pasture or a pasture maintenance service). Here are
the general steps to follow:
1. Till the soil with a plow
or rotary tiller, and then work it with a mulcher.
Tilling aerates the soil and removes clumps of dirt.
2. Level the field with a
harrow.
The soil should be fine and without large clods or chunks of dirt before you plant the seed.
3. Have your local county
extension office test the soil.
You want to make sure that the pH level is just right for the plants you intend to grow before you put down that precious seed.
Seeding
Seeding a pasture isn’t as easy
as seeding a flower garden. You can’t just toss the seeds out and hope for the
best. (Actually, you could, but this technique would be wasteful.) Consider
hiring an expert with the right equipment for this task if you’re growing a
pasture for the first time. Such folks include neighbors who are experienced
with growing pasture or a pasture maintenance service.
Have an expert with the right
equipment drill the seeds into the soil as they’re planted. The best depth is
from 1⁄4 to 1⁄2 inch, although the ideal depth can vary from grass to grass.
Get help from your county extension agent.
Tip
You may also want to consider planting a nurse crop, such as oats. A nurse crop helps the seedlings sprout by anchoring the soil and protecting them from the sun. (You plant the nurse crop seeds alongside the hay seeds.) You can harvest the nurse crop the next season, leaving the young hay exposed to light when it’s ready.
Remember
The best time of year to seed your pasture is in the fall — the moisture in the winter and spring will help it grow.
Irrigating
Your pasture needs water in order
to grow and survive. If you’re lucky enough to live in a climate with a lot of
rain, nature does much of the work for you. If you live in a dry climate, your
pasture grass depends on you to keep it alive. How you choose to provide water
depends on how big your pasture is, as well as your resources, time restraints,
and personal preferences. Use the information in the following sections to help
you irrigate your pasture in the best way possible.
Sticking to a few basic irrigation rules
Remember
Irrigating takes a bit of knowledge, but after you know the basic rules, you can water your pastures with success. Here are some rules to follow:
- Don’t graze horses on freshly irrigated pasture because it damages the grass.
- Learn the water needs of your grasses, and don’t over- or under-water.
- Test the quality of your water to ensure that it doesn’t contain too much salt or too many minerals. Too much salt or minerals can store up in the soil and affect its fertility. Your local county extension agent can test your water for you.
- Irrigate early in the morning when wind and sun are low.
Getting water
If you have a tiny pasture,
irrigation isn’t too difficult. You can water your pasture the way you water
your lawn: with sprinklers. But if you have a bigger pasture, you need a more
sophisticated method.
Here are some methods of pasture
irrigation. Choose the method of irrigation best suited to your pasture needs:
- Sprinklers: One way to water a large pasture is with multiple sprinklers hooked up to a traveling system. The system operates unattended and shuts off automatically when it’s finished.
- Flooding: This method allows you to open a valve and flood the surface of your pasture with water. This calls for more labor than a sprinkler system because you have to monitor the water flow and shut it off before it reaches the end of the field. Also, if your land has slope, undulates, or is very sandy, this type of irrigation won’t work very well.
- Water reels: Water reels are a popular choice for a lot of pastures, especially larger ones. The water reel moves through the pasture on its own, and can negotiate difficult terrain and work around trees and other objects.
Remember
Before you invest in an irrigation system, make sure that you have a reliable water source. You need from 5 to 20 gpm (gallons per minute) from a well or stream to effectively water a pasture.
Knowing how often to irrigate
Too much or too little water can
stress your plants. Grazing plus stress from poor irrigation can leave you with
sorry pastures.
The actual amount of water to
give your pasture varies depending on where you’re located. Information on
pasture water use, also called evapotranspiration, is available at your
local USDA Cooperative Extension System office. (See the appendix for full
contact information.) This info can help you determine how often you should
water.
The frequency of irrigation also
depends on the kind of grass that you’re growing. Find out how much water your
crop needs by discussing it with your county extension office. Then, purchase
soil moisture sensors to keep track of how wet your soil is, and to help you
figure out when you need to water.
Tip
You can also figure how much to water based on the idea that many pastures should receive an inch of water every five days. If natural rainfall doesn’t provide this much water, you need to provide it with irrigation.
The type of soil you have
determines how much you should water, too. Loam types of soil hold more water
than sandy soil, so they don’t require as much irrigation.
Cleaning
Remember
Just because your horse is out to pasture doesn’t mean that you don’t have to pick up the poop! Keep your pastures clear of manure by breaking up piles or picking up manure at least once a week. Reasons for doing this include:
- Horses won’t eat where they poop. Who can blame them?
- Internal parasites re-infect your horse if he’s forced to graze near manure.
- Flies multiply if you leave manure lying about the field.
Fertilizing
If you want to keep your pasture
grass nutritious, you need to fertilize it. Grazing depletes the grass of
nutrients, and fertilizing pasture spares you the expense of having to reclaim
soil that’s been destroyed by improper care.
To know what kind of fertilizer
to use for your particular crop in your area of the country, take soil samples.
Your county extension agent can help you with this task and can also tell you
how frequently to fertilize the type of pasture you’ve chosen. Keep in mind
that if you want your pasture to be organic, you have to use only organic
fertilizers.
Aerating
Horses walk while they graze,
which is great for their legs. Unfortunately, it’s not great for the pasture.
All this walking compacts the soil and makes it more difficult for grass to
grow and for soil to absorb water.
To combat this, you need to
aerate your pasture on a regular basis. The frequency depends on your soil
type, the amount of rainfall you get, and the number of horses you keep on the
pasture. A county extension agent can help you determine the frequency rate.
You can aerate the pasture yourself by investing in an aerator (the type you
push for small jobs, or the kind you pull with a tractor) or by hiring someone
who provides this service.
Tip
To help reduce the need for frequent aeration, don’t graze your horses during or right after a rainfall. Give the pasture a chance to dry out. Grazing on wet ground increases the soil compaction rate.
Managing your pasture
Remember
In order to have continued good forage and healthy horses who get the nutrition they need, you need to manage your pasture. Maintaining a pasture is much cheaper than reclaiming one and starting from scratch. Here are some tips on how to best maintain your horse’s pasture:
- Take soil samples. Taking soil samples of your pasture either in the spring or fall of each year is a wise maneuver. Have the sample analyzed by your local USDA Cooperative Extension System office so that you know the general health of your soil, and whether you need to add anything to it.
- Practice rotational grazing. Whenever possible, divide your pasture into at least two areas so that your horse can graze on one part while the other part “rests” for at least one season, depending on the type of grass you’re growing. Resting enables your pasture to recover from repeated grazing.
- Use weed control. Practice weed control to keep your pastures healthy. Coauthor Dr. Kate doesn’t use herbicides at all, but she controls weeds by mowing intensively before the weedy plants bud and go to seed. Eventually, the good grasses take over and crowd out the weeds. Yes, it’s more labor-intensive, but it’s better for the environment in the long run.
Harvesting Hay for the Future
Some people not only graze their
horses on pasture, but also like to grow their own hay. Growing hay is a lot of
work, but it’s rewarding. You save money on feed, and you have the satisfaction
of knowing exactly what your horses are eating. You can even grow your hay
organically to be sure that your horses aren’t ingesting any herbicides or
pesticides.
Before you can start harvesting
your own hay, you need to find out about cutting, baling, curing, and storing
hay.
Cutting hay in your pasture
The second cut of hay from a
pasture during its second year of growth is usually the best stuff to feed to
your horse. Generally, during the first season, the hay isn’t mature enough.
And the first cutting usually isn’t high enough in quality to feed your horse.
(It’s fine for cows, though, if you or your neighbors have any of those.)
Remember
The time of the season when you cut your hay is very important, as is the weather. (When you cut your hay depends on the crop you’re growing; your county extension agent can advise you on the right time.) Too much rain can result in wet, moldy hay, and weather that’s too dry can leave you with dried-out hay. Watch the weather and cut when the air is dry but not too hot.
Plant maturity is another issue tied in with the time of season to cut. Less mature plants have more leaves than they do stems, so they’re more nutritious. On the other hand, they don’t give as much yield as more mature plants. Again, your county extension agent can help you learn the nuances of hay maturity and nutrition, depending on the type of hay that you’re growing and where you live.
After the hay is cut, usually
with a sickle-bar mower, it’s left in piles called windrows. The hay
sits and dries out in these windrows until it’s ready for baling (see the next
section). The amount of time it takes the hay to dry out depends on the level
of humidity in the air at the time of the cutting. To help the hay dry, you can
turn over the windrows a few times. (If you’re inexperienced in cutting hay,
have an experienced neighbor help you or hire a service to do the work.)
Baling and curing hay
When the hay in the windrows is
dry, the baling process begins. In some parts of the country, you need to get
up very early to get the job done. The morning dew helps keep the stems and
leaves together during the baling process. In other regions, the hay has too
much moisture in the morning and needs some time in the sun to dry properly for
baling conditions.
Warning!
Waiting until later in the day when it’s hot leaves you with bales that aren’t very good. In fact, they can be dangerous because harmful bacteria can grow inside them.
A hay baler, which is pulled by a
tractor, determines the size of the bales. Most hay for horses is baled with a
hay baler that yields bales weighing about 40 to 60 pounds. The hay baler
compresses the hay into a bale, and then ties it together with baling twine.
(You need someone with this equipment and experience baling to help you with
this work. Hay baling services are available for hire.)
After you bale the hay, you may
leave it out in the field to continue curing. This allows more of the moisture
in the bales to evaporate before you move
them indoors. This curing process can take anywhere from one day to
threeor more, depending on the weather and humidity levels.
Warning!
Hay that’s damp and kept inside is susceptible to mold, which can be dangerous to your horse’s health. It can also cause the hay to start to ferment, which can lead to combustion, allowing the hay to catch on fire all by itself.
Storing hay
After your hay is baled and
cured, you should store it indoors away from rain or snow. A three-sided
building often is best for storage because it allows the hay to ventilate while
still protecting it from getting wet and moldy.
Tip
If your only option is to store your hay outdoors in an uncovered area, be sure to cover it with a tarp to prevent it from getting wet. Check your tarp regularly too, to make sure that it doesn’t contain any holes. If your hay gets wet, remove the tarp immediately and let the hay dry out as soon as you can by opening the bales and spreading the hay around. Leaving wet hay under a tarp encourages mold to grow.
When storing your hay on the ground, use wooden pallets underneath it to keep the hay from touching the ground, where moisture can get to it. Another option is to keep your hay in a barn loft so that you don’t have to worry about the bales making contact with the ground.
by Audrey Pavia with Kate Gentry-Running,DVM,CVA
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