The establishment of permanent grazing pasture for horses is one of the most important and yet one of the most neglected areas of stock management. Many horse owners rely on local farmers to seed fertilize and maintain their land in the absence of any other guidance or information. There is however a vast difference in the aims and objectives in agriculture to those of the average horse owner. The ‘holy grail’ for the farmer is productivity, be it crop, milk or meat, and all farming is geared to this. However, this is not what we are looking for in the permanent pasture. Condition, health, physical and mental fitness of the horse and durable grazing free from weeds and mud are our top priority here. The healthy bone and joint development of foals can also be compromised by hard, compacted ground and lack of suitable ‘cushioning’ grass sward cover.

The sewing of high yield grasses for hay and silage production or grazing for cattle and sheep are the farmers’ domain. He probably doesn’t suffer from a shortage of land and is able to graze selectively through the year. He probably doesn’t lack the equipment to maintain it either. But these high yield type grasses are not generally what we require in equine pastures. A high ratio of leaf to root means that these grasses are the most prone to poaching, offer little resistance to hoof damage, and can cause weight and laminitis problems in grazing horses due to high yield and sugary content.

The durability of the grass sward is also crucial to horse owners for whom it is essential to make the best of what is available and rye grasses in particular are prone to weed infestation since they do not form a thick, impenetrable sward like fescues and meadow grasses. Sewing a variety of slower growing meadow type grasses with wild flowers and herbs provides far more suitable grazing for horses. These grasses are more durable under foot, more drought and frost resistant, and offer far more choice to horses who are notoriously picky eaters. The thick grass sward created offers far less opportunity for problem weeds such as ragwort and docks to establish and the herbs and flowers attract a range of insects which, through the knock on effect of attracting predatory insects and bats can drive out horse flies. The deeper root system of such a sward also creates access to nutrients, minerals etc. which are normally out of reach of grass roots. 

It is important to maintain variety in the pasture. Plants, herbs and grasses all ‘come good’ at different times, encouraging the horse to seek out what he likes rather than just eat what’s in front of him. The spraying of ‘weeds’ in permanent pasture should be avoided since plants such as yarrow, dandelion, burnet, self-heal, plantain etc. which are highly palatable and nutritious to horses will be killed off and many of the meadow type grasses can be compromised. Similarly, the use of high nitrate content fertilizer causes over production of high yield grasses which then crowd out and kill off the meadow type grasses. Variety is quickly lost and we are back to square one. The establishment and maintenance of such a pasture requires specialized knowledge. The process can be lengthy but the benefits are well worth the wait for both horse and owner.