Tips On How To Keep Your Pastures In Best Shape Possible

Tips On How To Keep Your Pastures In Best Shape Possible

Pastures are important for horses not just for grazing, but also for running around and interacting with other horses. While you might think that you just turn a horse out to pasture and it’s fine as is, that’s not really the case. You need to make sure the pastures are safe and in the best possible shape for the horses, especially if the horse lives out there full-time. These tips will help keep your pastures in tip top shape.

Rotate

Having more than one pasture means you can rotate which ones the horses use. Pastures will have a lot of wear and tear, if you will, so rotating them gives the pastures a chance to have grass grow back before you put the horses back in it.

Mow

Many people think you shouldn’t mow a pasture because the more grass the better, but actually the reason for mowing is really to cut down the grass, but to keep weeds under control. Nearly everything that grows tall and unwieldy is probably a weed ands should be gotten rid of.

It’s a good idea to mow your pastures twice a year just to make sure you’re keeping those weeds at bay.

Fertilizing

Like any plant you have outside or in the house, grass needs to be fertilized to grow and succeed as well. Do some research on the best, safest fertilizers and get going. This will ensure your pastures longevity. Make sure you do your research before using anything and make sure you know exactly how often and how much to use before you use it.

Regularly Remove Droppings

Have you ever had a neighbor’s dog poo in your yard and not notice and then when it decomposes see an ugly yellow, dry patch in your lawn? That’s what happens when there’s manure in your pastures as well. Regularly remove droppings from the fields to make sure the grass doesn’t get suffocated and die.

Water, Water, Water

Horses will graze a lot and if you don’t make sure the pasture is properly watered there’s a good chance that once they eat the grass it won’t grow back and then you’ll have yourself in a bit of a pickle. Watering will make sure they stay grassy and edible rather than dry and empty.

Another thing you should make sure to do is to reseed it when you need to. Sometimes water isn’t always enough and when the grass is out, the grass is out. Reseeding isn’t immediate though, so you should make sure you plan with enough time for it to grow.

Keeping a pasture in fantastic shape is a bit of work, but if you make sure to do everything regularly then you’ll have less work to deal with over time than if you let it get too far gone. Keeping your pasture in good shape for your horses is imperative so these tips will help you keep them happy and safe. We’d love to hear about any particular steps you take to keep your pastures in the best shape possible, so drop us a comment below!

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