Ask any experienced farm owner or manager–proper pasture management definitely has its perks. Managing pastures properly prevents erosion and nutrient loss from the soil, which also helps improve stream and water quality. In addition, pastures can provide an excellent "free-choice" exercise plan for horses. But the most important role pastures play in horsekeeping is that the grasses they contain are some of the most economical feeds available.

Where to Start

One of the best places to begin examining your pasture management processes is by taking a walk around the fields. Such a walk provides an opportunity to evaluate topography and "ground cover," or amount of available forage. Regular walks can help you determine if there are areas where forages grow well, and areas where forages seem to have problems getting established. Conduct these walks periodically throughout the year, every two months, to evaluate changes throughout the seasons. It is also essential to determine how many acres of pasture you have, and how many acres are available per horse.

While hiking the fields it is also good to recognize what types of plants are growing. A variety of books and extension publications with excellent descriptions and photographs of forages can help you become familiar with these plants. A few examples include the book Southern Forages, 4th Edition, (Ball, Lacefield, and Hoveland, 2007) and the Forage Use and Identification Guide, found at the University of Kentucky Web site www.ca.uky.edu/agc/pubs/agr/agr175/agr175.htm. These two guides contain plants found across the United States, but extension Web sites for each state probably will provide better information for your specific area of the country