An Equine New Year’s Resolution: Better Pasture Management

Focusing efforts on pasture management could have positive impacts on our horses, our wallets, and the environment.
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The beginning of a new year is a great time to set priorities for the rest of the year. Focusing some of our efforts on improved pasture management could potentially have positive impacts on our horses, our wallets, and the environment. Like many resolutions, it is a yearlong undertaking that requires advanced planning.

Benefits of Improved Pastures

Improving pastures has many benefits that justify the time, effort, and potential cost involved. Pastures that have desirable grass cover provide safe footing for horses and, in many cases, all of the nutrition needed to maintain them.

“The most economical way to feed a horse is on pasture,” said Tom Keene, forage agronomist at the University of Kentucky College of Agriculture, Food and Environment.

Stored feeds, such as grain mixes and hay, are significantly more expensive than maintaining a healthy and productive pasture. Weed control in pastures improves the quality and quantity of forage produced, is more aesthetically appealing, and reduces toxic plant growth. Finally, a healthy pasture reduces manure and fertilizer runoff into nearby waterways and slows soil erosion

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