Introduction to Pasture
Management
ANSC 110
August 31, 2010
The basics…
 Pasture is healthy for your animal
 Sunshine
 Room to roam, play, socialize with others
 Allows for natural eating behaviors
 Nutritious
The basics…
 Properly maintained pasture:
1. Can provide adequate energy, protein,
vitamins and minerals to maintain most
animals
2. A cheap source of feed for your animal
What is a High Quality Pasture?
 Characteristics  Dense
 Diverse
 Weed-free (relatively)
 Well-drained
 Crumbly, porous soil
 Palatable
Advantages of Pasture
 Promotes normal healthy
behavior
 Providing space for play
and
exercise
 Promotes social interaction
 Reduces development of
vices
Advantages of Pasture
 Reduces likelihood of colic
 Lowers incidence of gastric ulcers
 Decreased incidence of chronic
obstructive pulmonary disease
(Heaves)
 Increases bone mineral content in
young horses
Advantages of Pasture
 Can produce 1-4 tons of
forage matter/acre/growing
season
 Reduces hay costs by
approx. $60-100/month
Advantages of Pasture
 Reduces fertilizer costs when
manure spread properly during year
 Pasture recycles nutrients from
dropped manure
 Reduces need to manage bedding
from stalls and drylots
 $avings
Advantages –
Environmental Returns
 Reduces erosion
 Recycles nutrients
 Supplies land surface for ground-water
recharge
 Provides an aesthetically pleasing
environment for rural and residential
neighbors
Disadvantages of Pasture
 Some weeds, grasses, and legumes
contain toxic compounds:
 Weed examples:
 Jimsonweed, yellow star thistle,
pokeweed
 Grass examples:
 Tall fescue
 Legume examples:
 Aslike clover, red clover
Disadvantages of Pasture
 Spread of gastrointestinal parasites
 Infective stage of parasites shed in feces
 Optimal conditions for larval
development
 High stocking rates  increased risk of
infection
 Manure management, appropriate
stocking density, and deworming
important for horse health on pasture
Disadvantages –
Pasture Associated Laminitis
 Condition of the foot characterized by
inflammation of the tissues
connecting the hoof wall to the major
bone of the foot
 Severe cases may result in rotation of
coffin bone
 High prevalence in overweight
animals
 Hereditary trait in ponies
Creating a Quality Pasture
 Things to consider…
 Management of the animals
 Grazing management
 Pasture management
 Timing
 Utilize your growing season
 Optimize the stocking rate
Horse Grazing Behavior
 Time spent grazing varies
 Weather
 Forage availability
 Alone vs. with pals
 Flies
 Age
 Will consume approximately
~ 2 – 2.5% BW in DM on a
daily basis
Horse Grazing Behavior
 40-80% time spent grazing
 9% of a horse’s time is spent walking
 5-10% time spent lying down
 Primarily 3-4 hours before dawn
 SELECTIVE GRAZERS
Horse Grazing Behavior
Grazing Management
 Optimize forage available
 Leave some for later. Avoid overgrazing.
 Know when to graze, when to rest
 Grazing Systems
 Continuous
 Rotational
 Strip
Grazing Management
 Periods of occupation
 Recovery periods
 Stocking rate and density
 Paddock/pasture design
 Climate considerations
Optimize the stocking rate
 Stocking Rate - a measurement of the longterm carrying capacity of a pasture; the
number of animals on the entire grazing unit
for the entire grazing season
 Stocking Density - the number of animals
on a given unit of land for a specific amount
of time (short-term measurement).
Pasture Management
 Obtaining that optimal pasture requires
management of the:
 PLANTS
 SOIL
Pasture Management
 Species Selection
 Pasture Ecology
 Water requirements
 Temperature
 Plant anatomy/growth factors
 Pest control
Pasture Management
 Pasture Nutrition
 Sunlight / Water
 Nitrogen
 Potassium
 Phosphorus
 Other nutrients required
 Soil acidity (pH level)
 TIMING!
Timing
 TIMING IS EVERYTHING!!!!
 Seeding
 Grazing
 Resting
 Irrigation
 Fertilization
 Climate-dependent
Utilize your growing season
 Different species of
plants have different
growth curves
 Variety  healthy
pasture year-round
What’s Coming Up?
 What plants do I want?
 What plants do I NOT want?
 How do I get rid of the “stuff” that I don’t
want?
 How do I keep my pasture looking good?
 Pasture Ecology
 And more . . .