Maintaining Healthy Horse Pastures

Maintaining Healthy Horse Pastures

Chris TeutschSouthern Piedmont AREC

Blackstone, VA

Introduction• Horses co-evolved with

grasslands– natural grazing animal– able to digest plant fiber– extract energy from low

quality feed source• Modern Pastures

– high quality feed source– inexpensive feed source

• hay can cost 4 to 6 times– safe exercise area

Introduction • Little agronomic training • Poor pasture management

– loss of groundcover– loss of desirable species – increase in weed species– limited value as a feed – unsafe exercise area– environmental problem

Overstocked Pasture

Erosion Damage• Ag Stewardship Act

– 18% equine in 2005• Soil loss• Nutrients offsite• Manure is washed into

waterways• Erosion is prevented

by maintaining groundcover

Manure Water

Pasture Management Topics• Plant Growth

– relation to management• Pasture Species

– species selection• Controlling Grazing

– layout of paddocks– pasture size– rotational grazing basics

Strong relationship between horse and

owner impacts decision making

Forage Plant Growth

Sunlight, H20,Nutrients, CO2

Factory: Plant Leaf

Warehouse:

CHO Reserves in Plant

Consumer Outlet:Growth and Maintenance

of the plant

The Photosynthetic Factory

O2 O2 O2 O2 O2

O2

Defoliation Event

• What is needed for regrowth?

ENERGY• Where does this energy come from?

– leaf area remaining– stored carbohydrates

Location of Carbohydrate ReservesSpecies Primary Storage Organ Storage Form

Alfalfa, Red Clover, Birdsfoot Trefoil, Sweetclover

tap root starch

White Clover stolons, tap root starch

Tall Fescue, Timothy, Orchardgrass, Ryegrass, Small Grain

stem base fructosans

Kentucky Bluegrass stem base, rhizome fructosans

Bermudagrass stolons, rhizomes starch

Millets, Sorghums, Sudangrass stem base starch

Switchgrass, Gammagrass stem base, short rhizome starch

Alfalfa• 100% dependent

on stored CHO’s• Decrease until 6-8”• Return to precut

level by early bloom

• Allow 30-35 d rest• Cut at 2 inches• All forages have

similar cycle

Grass RegrowthCollar is present =

no more growth

Do we graze this leaf off?

STOP!

Morphology and Physiology in Relation to Grazing Management

High Leaf Area + High CHOs = Higher Yields + Faster Recovery

Forage Species for Horse Pastures

Forages in Virginia

• “Transition Zone”– not in north and south– cool-season species-grow in spring & fall– warm-season species-grow in summer– no single forage well adapted over entire

grazing season• Problem or opportunity?

– many species seasonally adapted

Growth Curves for Common Forages

KY BluegrassOrchardgrass

Tall FescueLadino Clover

Red CloverAlfalfa

Small GrainsRyegrass

BermudagrassSwitchgrass

Caucasian BluestemSorghum-Sudan

Pearl Millet

JAN MAR MAY JUL SEPT NOV

Cool-Season Grasses

Warm-Season Grasses

Legumes

Cool-Season Annual Grasses

Warm-Season Annual Grasses

Adapted from Controlled Grazing of Virginia’s Pastures, Publication 418-012

Forage Species for Virginia• Characteristics of forages species

– regionally adapted– adapted to your soils– high yielding– high nutritive value– drought and heat tolerant– tolerant of close and frequent grazing– persistent

• What are the options?

Kentucky Bluegrass• Cool-season perennial• Best adapted west of

Blueridge Mountains• Forms dense sod• Tolerates close and

frequent grazing• Lower yielding• Does not tolerate heat

and drought

Orchardgrass• High nutritive value• Palatable• Hay or Pasture• Bunchgrass-forms

open sod• Does not tolerate

close and frequent defoliation

• Limited summer growth

• Limited persistence• Insect problems

Tall Fescue• Most important

grass species in transition zone

• Tolerates close and frequent grazing

• Drought and heat tolerant

• Easy to establish• Tough sod

Tall Fescue Toxicosis• Infected with an endophyte

– drought and grazing tolerance– production of toxins

• Toxic effects on broodmares– abortions, prolonged gestation, birthing

problems, retained placentas, agalactia• Management

– remove mares 60-90 days before foaling– replace infected stands– new technologies

Novel or Friendly Endophyte• Gives persistence and stress tolerance• No production of toxins• Initial research showed no reproductive

problems• Field must be fescue free before seeding• Must be properly managed• No long-term persistence data in horse

pastures

Bermudagrass

Seeded Bermudagrass• Bermudagrass is adapted to Virginia• Relatively little planted• Sprigs and sprigging

– do not have equipment and sprig sources• Seeded bermudagrass

– establish like any small seeded forage• Cultivar

– single pure variety• Blend

– mixture of several varieties, AZ common, giant– same trade name, but different mixture

2002 DM Yield: 1st Production YrVariety Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Total

---------------------lb DM/A------------------------Pasto Rico 6213 4404 3771 2958 2227 19572Cheyenne 5827 3795 3974 3266 2283 19144

KF-194 4449 2647 3726 2565 2074 15461Cd90160 3277 3420 3729 2498 2394 15318

SunGrazer 4408 2061 3640 2455 2427 14991Mohawk 3626 2757 3756 2569 2045 14752Wrangler 4203 2112 3411 1996 1922 13643

LSD (0.05) 1880 740 ns 320 361 2098

Rainfall was more than 8 inches below normal

Persistence: Cold Tolerance

Million dollar question!!!

Spring Green Up-5/9/2003

‘Cheyenne’‘SunGrazer’

‘Pasto Rico’ ‘Wrangler’

Selecting a Variety• Yield is important• Cold tolerance is more important• Do not use varieties that include

‘Giant’ and/or ‘Arizona Common’• Disease resistance??????

Extreme cold will kill all varieties!!!

Red Clover• Most important

pasture legume • Short-lived perennial• Good drought

tolerance• Excellent seedling

vigor• Easily established

– frost seeding• “Red Clover Slobbers”

White Clover• Important in pastures• Three types

– small, medium, large• Ladino or large type

produces 3-5X• Stolons

– well adapted to grazing• Poor drought tolerance

– persists via reseeding• Very high in quality

Getting in Control

Pasture Fertility• Soil Test

– sample depth should be 2-4” – adjust pH to 6.2-6.5– adjust P and K to high level– maintain nutrient level

• Nitrogen Management– cool-season grasses

• 40-60 lb/A in spring• 40-60 lb/A in late summer or early fall

• Animals recycle 90-95% of nutrients– redistribution of nutrients– drag pastures to distribute dung– soil test and adjust P and K every 2-3 years

Controlling Grazing• Residual Leaf Area

– rotate horses when shortest grass is at proper stubble height

– leave plenty of leaf area• Carbohydrate Reserves

– rest period allows for replenishment of carbohydrates after regrowth

• Maintain Botanical Composition – 30% legumes no N needed

Pasture Layout• One large pasture or several smaller

pastures?• One large pasture

– continuous grazing weakens sod– selective grazing– redistribution of nutrients

• Several smaller paddocks– rotational grazing strengthens sod – reduces selective – better distribution of manure

Paddock Number and Size• One horse requires 2-3 acres

– REQUIREMENT-NOT AN OPTION• Paddock Number

– 4 to 6 paddocks• Paddock Size

– depend on horse number and rotation interval– rotation interval should be < 5 days

• Designate a Sacrifice Paddock– well drained– low erosion potential– surrounded by a grass buffer

Paddock Layout

HouseBarn

-close to square-avoid irregular shapes

-uniform soil, forage, slope, aspect, production potential

-fresh water source

-access to shade

The Real World• Not everyone has 2-3 acres per horse• We can’t control the weather• We can control grazing!!!!!!!!• What do you do?

– subdivide and rotate– do not graze pastures that have not regrown

• Use a sacrifice paddock– feed horses hay in when grass is not growing– exercise during wet conditions– accept that you can not maintain grass

1 432

5 6Sacrifice Paddock

Barn

Water

Example Paddock Layout

Warm-Season Grass

Warm-Season Grass

Questions?