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One of the best ways to save costs on feed is to provide high
quality forage for your horse. It is recommended that 2-4 acres
of pasture for each animal are recommended, but smaller areas can
be used. Good sound fencing should be provided to divide up the
land into paddocks or set up temporary fencing. A good established
pasture with grasses 8-10 tall is ideal.
Always plant a highly disease resistant
variety, one adapted
to your climate and soil types. For information about soil types,
contact your Agricultural Cooperative Agency in your area. Cool
season orchard grass, rye grass and tall fescue seeded in late
summer to early fall are good choices. Mixing 10%-15% of legumes,
such as white clover and alfalfa, will enhance the protein value
and reduce the amount of nitrogen fertilizer needed for the growth
of the other grasses. Fall pastures can be inter-seeded or no till
seeded with winter oats rye and wheat. **Remember, too high legume
levels are not recommended (25%-30%) and could cause colic problems.
**
For extra forage needed in summer months, a hybrid pearl millet
yields high quality, drought resistant forage. This grass is an
annual so will have to be seeded each season though some will re-seed
self in the warmer climates. **Never allow horses to graze on sorghum
sudangrasses, sudan-sudangrasses, or johnsongrass because of the
potential for causing cystitis, a serious urinary disease.
Soil pH level is the most important and essential to optimum
uptake of nutrients of the growing grasses. A pH of 6.0 – 6.5
or slightly higher for alfalfa mixed seed is the best. The soil
fertility and pH are important in eliminating weeds. Weeds sometimes
are the only things that will grow in poor soils. A weed infested
pasture can be sprayed with herbicide in August and no till seed
into the existing dead sod in September. This not only helps with
weed grasses but also broadleaf weeds as well.
Some links to companies for seed sources and other related information
are:
SouthernStates.com
Mossyoakbiologic.com
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