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Grasses & Forage Crops For Horses
Equine Grazing RecommendationsHorse Pastures perform best when
they are either all grasses or a mixture of grasses and clovers. Read about feeding horses clover and remember that a pasture should
never be >35% clover.
1) First Step: The only way to
produce high forage yields is to know the condition of your soil.
The first step should be to obtain a soil test so as to determine
the fertilization needs and pH of the soil. Your extension
agent can assist with obtaining a soil test. Test in sections
of no more than 10 acres for best results. Retest every one to
three years. After testing you can determine the fertilizers
and limes needed to provide for highest yields. pH is VERY
important in maintaining good forage production. When pH of
the soil becomes acidic, the grasses can NOT utilize the nutrients
provided by fertilizers. Apply N-P-K based on your soil
analysis test results.
2) Second Step: The second step is to determine the best grass / legume and/or forages to plant to provide
grazing for your horses. Keep in mind that you must manage
grazing for most efficient use. Horses are notorious for being
a grazing machine and can over-graze a field if not properly managed
by limiting access. Also to best maintain the optimum health
of your equine animals you should provide supplemental feed. --
Listed at the bottom of this page are various grasses, legumes and
forages for equine use.
Forages & Grass For Pastures Charts
| Grass /Forage Cultivar
Type |
Color Code |
| Warm Season Perennial |
|
| Warm Season Annual |
|
| Cool Season Perennial |
|
| Cool Season Annual |
|
| Cool Season Perennial Legumes |
|
| Cool Season Annual Legumes |
|
Note: Cool Season grasses tend to be annual only in warmer
Southern USA areas providing forage to around May-June of each year.
-- Warm Season grasses also may perform as annuals in cooler
Northern USA areas, with possible permanent winter-kill of grass
from cold temps.
| Tolerance to
Site Conditions: 1=Poor 2=Fair 3=Good 4=Excellent |
|
Common Name |
Soil
Acidity |
Poor
Drainage |
Drought |
Grazing |
| Bahiagrass |
4 |
3 |
4 |
4 |
BermudaGrass
Cheyenne & Ranchero |
4 |
1 |
4 |
4 |
| Dallisgrass |
2 |
4 |
3 |
3 |
| Pennleaf Pearl Millet |
4 |
1 |
4 |
2 |
| Browntop Millet |
4 |
1 |
4 |
2 |
| Kentucky Bluegrass |
2 |
2 |
1 |
4 |
| Orchardgrass |
2 |
2 |
2 |
2 |
| MaxQ Fescue |
3 |
3 |
3 |
4 |
| Timothy |
2 |
2 |
2 |
2 |
| Passerel Plus Ryegrass |
3 |
4 |
2 |
4 |
| Annual Ryegrass |
3 |
3 |
2 |
3 |
| Oats |
2 |
2 |
2 |
3 |
| Wintergrazer 70 Rye |
4 |
2 |
2 |
3 |
| Supergrazer (Rye & Ryegrass) |
4 |
2 |
2 |
3 |
| Wheat |
1 |
1 |
2 |
3 |
| Alfalfa |
1 |
1 |
4 |
1 |
| Red Clover |
2 |
2 |
2 |
3 |
| White Clover |
2 |
3 |
2 |
4 |
| Arrowleaf Clover |
2 |
1 |
3 |
3 |
| Crimson Clover |
3 |
1 |
2 |
4 |
| Hairy Vetch |
3 |
1 |
2 |
2 |
| Rose Clover |
3 |
1 |
3 |
3 |
Cool Season Perennials Pasture Grasses
MaxQ,
Kentucky
Bluegrass and
Orchard grass are used for permanent cool season horse pastures.
Clovers can be included in these pastures for a companion
species. Various mixtures are also available to provide a
balanced selection of cultivars. These pasture seed blends are grass seed which provide excellent blended
varieties that grow well in various cool season geographical areas. MaxQ makes an excellent Tall Fescue pasture and is safe for pregnant mares. Testing at the Mississippi State University on pastures
planted ONLY with MaxQ Tall Fescue Seed has shown NO symptoms of fescue toxicities. Low or Endophyte-free fescue is also recommended for equine use.
Cool Season Annual Pasture Grasses
Small grains and/or ryegrass or winter annual grass and legume
mixtures make superb horse pastures.
Passerel Plus
Ryegrass,
Gulf Annual Ryegrass are highly productive in late spring and
early summer. Extremely nutritious and palatable.
Rye Grains such
as Wintergrazer 70 Rye and the new SuperGrazer blend of Rye and
Ryegrass are good choices. Cereal grains (Rye, Wheat) are the
most tolerant of soil acidity and cold temperatures.
Warm Season Perennial Pasture Grasses
Warm season perennials are mainly used in Southern
regions of the USA.
Bermudagrass, Bahiagrass
and
Dallisgrass are the best choices. Newer improved seeded
Bermudas include the
Cheyenne
Bermuda cultivar and the Ranchero Frio Blend (Both forage & Hay
Production). Bermuda makes a SAFE, easily established and
excellent pasture for horses. Both Pensacola Bahia and improved
Tifton 9 Bahia
are used for Bahiagrass equine pastures.
Warm Season Annual Pasture Grass
Warm season annuals are often used for horses in the
lower South. These species can also be overseeded with cool season annuals to provide more forage year-round.
Annual Ryegrasses (such as Passerel Plus or Gulf Annual) are used to overseed existing Perennial pastures for extended grazing with planting in the fall for use through late spring.
Annuals suitable for equine use Pennleaf Pearl Millet is very
productive... but may not be palatable when first planted. Millets are excellent emergency forage. Browntop Millet is good but very short lived (less than 90 days). Crab grasses such
as the Red River Crabgrass and Quick-N-Big Crabgrass varieties make for high quality
pasture and highly palatable forages.
GRASSES TO AVOID FOR HORSES
DO NOT PLANT:
Sorghum, Sudangrass, Johnsongrass, Sorghum-Sudangrass hybrids all
should NOT be used for horses. Horses can develop
paralysis and urinary disorders from grazing these species.
Hay from these species is NOT considered safe for feeding.
Kentucky 31 fescue or any variety that contains toxic endophytes
should NOT be used as pasturage for pregnant mares. There are
safe varieties of Fescue for use - see above.
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