Climate, soil, and smart grazing choices all help with greener pastures and healthier horses

The quality of pasture forage significantly impacts the health of your horse. Bob Coleman, PhD, PAS, an associate professor and horse extension specialist in the University of Kentucky’s Department of Animal & Food Sciences, in Lexington, says, “Everyone would like that nice, lush green pasture, but we ultimately want our pasture to have a good stand of forage, minimum areas of bare ground, and few weeds or plants that we don’t want our horses to consume.” The nutrient concentration and digestibility of pasture forage relates to horses’ voluntary forage intake, and it needs to be palatable. “If they won’t eat it, then the nutrient level within the plant becomes a moot point,” says Coleman.

With that in mind, consider the following factors when thinking about your horse’s pasture forage quality.

Plant Species Adaptation to Climate Conditions

Pasture forage quality depends mainly on the plant species and variety you choose, with selection based on what grows best in your region. Forage-Livestock Systems Program assistant professor and extension specialist Liliane Silva, PhD, of Clemson University’s Department of Animal and Veterinary Sciences, in South Carolina, says forage species and varieties adapt to different climates. Grazing and forage land in the United States can be roughly grouped into three segments based on climate conditions: temperate region (cool-season), transitional zone, and southeastern (tropical) region.

Coleman stresses that too many times we read or hear about a great pasture mix but forget to take note if it suits our area. Silva offers some examples of pasture grasses and legumes (think alfalfa or clover, which are members of the same family as soybeans, chickpeas, lentils, and peanuts) best suited for each region or zone. The cool-season temperate forage region occupies much of the northeastern U.S., the Midwest, Great Lakes states, and parts of the northern Great Plains. Cool-season perennial forages such as orchardgrass, smooth bromegrass, endophyte-free ryegrass, Kentucky bluegrass, tall fescue, common white clover, Ladino white clover, red clover, and alfalfa are best adapted to this region. Planting warm-season grasses here would not make sense, Silva says, as the climate is not warm enough for those plants to flourish.

As you move south, the vegetation changes to include more warm-season species; agronomists refer to this area as the transitional zone, which includes what Silva terms the tall fescue belt. Other forages such as Kentucky bluegrass, orchardgrass, annual and perennial endophyte-free ryegrass, and red and white clover all are well suited for this zone.

The southeastern region (including Hawaii and Puerto Rico) relies heavily on warm-season grasses such as Bahia grass and Bermuda grass, the warm-season annual legume lespedeza, and the cool-season annual grasses and legumes. In the southeastern region “we can grow warm- and cool-season forages, which allow us to almost have a year-round forage system,” says Silva.

Pasture Plant Growth, Time of Year

In addition to understanding the relationship between the pasture plant and climate, you also need to note the length of the growing season for that plant species. “The forage in the pasture is a crop,” says Coleman. You want to provide grazing for your horses as much of the year as possible.

Cool-season grasses produce most of their growth when you’d expect—during the cooler periods of the year (March to June and September to November). In the summer cool-season grasses either become dormant or die. Likewise, warm-season grasses mostly grow during warmer periods of the year (June to October). These plants become dormant or die when the fall frost begins