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The biggest factor for a fit, healthy, energetic, and happy horse is the basic feed - what you can’t just order with a click: hay, grass, haylage, or any other form of green fodder. All of this is supplied by well-maintained pastures. In addition to this nutritional foundation, grassland provides horses with their most natural habitat - a space to move freely, socialize, exercise, and simply be horses. Therefore, the value of a well-kept horse pasture for a horse's health cannot be overstated.
What might just seem like a large, green area – simply a pasture - is actually a highly complex system that requires care to deliver high-quality feed and provide a good environment for horses. If pastures are only used without proper upkeep, with grass grazed down to the soil, turf trampled, and ground muddied, the area cannot recover adequately, even after rest periods, and will no longer function the way it should.
Horse pastures require suitable, up-to-date management. Then, they’re not only a habitat and recreation area for horses but also make an important contribution to a diverse plant ecosystem.
Optimal grass management
Rest periods are a powerful tool for horse pastures - though they can often be challenging to maintain, as space is typically limited for most horse farms. A rule of thumb for rotational grazing is to have three breaks per pasture per season. For example, one in spring for four weeks, one in summer for six weeks, and one in autumn for eight weeks.
Overgrazing by Horses
One of the biggest challenges for horse owners is the issue of horses grazing too closely to the roots; they often eat the grass down almost to the ground. Especially at the beginning of the season, horse farms should be cautious not to overstrain the pastures. In spring, grass has a harder time to recover, as temperatures are not consistently high enough to support continual growth. Delaying the start of the grazing season until the grass reaches a height of around 20 to 30 centimeters greatly benefits the grass structure and coverage. Hay feeding and exercise on paddock areas are helpful alternatives to grazing. When grass is grazed too short - which horses can manage easily with their teeth, unlike dairy cows - it recovers slowly, and the pasture sustains damage. Such damage is not easy to remedy. Even reseeding only limits the damage. A good grass structure is the result of years of work and careful management.
Reseeding as Necessary Immediate Aid
If bare patches appear in the turf, immediate reseeding is essential. Otherwise, exposed soil areas can quickly become overrun by unwanted plants like dock, thistles, and nettles. Besides this immediate aid, selective reseeding of the entire area every few years is an investment that pays off if the seed is selected according to the local soil conditions and the intensity of use. In areas subject to heavy traffic, a seed mixture with a high proportion of perennial ryegrass can be helpful—although this high-yielding grass for dairy cows is often frowned upon by horse owners. For feed areas, you might opt for mixtures with little or no perennial ryegrass to reduce sugar levels in the growth. Timothy grass and cocksfoot are examples of lower-risk grass varieties for horses. Clover should not be included in any mix intended for horse pastures.
One of the essential pasture maintenance practices is mulching. This doesn’t mean covering with material, as the term is used in gardening. Mulching horse pastures means mowing areas that horses haven’t grazed and shredding the material to spread it across the pasture. Horse manure, which provides some fertilization but may also contain worm eggs, can also be spread. However, collecting manure is more hygienic, though it’s often time-prohibitive for larger operations. Mulching is still worthwhile, even if manure has already been removed.
Effective weed and pest control
The types of weeds present in a pasture depend on soil composition and pasture use. Weeds are not just annoying, they also indicate what the pasture needs most. For instance, if yellow buttercups - commonly known as buttercup flowers - are present, it’s a sign that the soil lacks lime. Lime can be applied year-round, though it’s most effective in spring and autumn. You can either apply feed-grade lime by hand or spread lime granules on larger areas using a tractor. The amount of lime needed can be determined through soil lab analysis. Farmers familiar with their land may also estimate the need.
Buttercup, Ragwort & Dock Removal
Pulling up buttercup plants is generally ineffective due to their root type; adding lime is a more lasting solution to get rid of them. While buttercups are mildly toxic to horses, they rarely pose a problem, as horses tend to avoid them. Ragwort is a different story. This plant has increasingly become a problem in German pastures. Ragwort is highly toxic - posing a danger to humans upon skin contact and particularly hazardous to horses when dried in hay. When ragwort appears in pastures, it should be pulled out, including the root, with gloves, and disposed of in general waste, not compost or manure. Ragwort is a biennial plant, typically developing a purple stem in its second year, which distinguishes it from other similar-looking yellow-flowering plants. In its first year, it doesn’t flower and appears as a low rosette, making it harder to identify. With their slender taproots, these plants are relatively easy to pull up.
The roots of broadleaf dock can also be levered out. This plant is non-toxic to humans but often spreads in compacted or recently established areas. A quality dock weeder is a great help when pulling up its deep, firmly rooted plants.
Caution with Weeds and Mulching
Be cautious with mulching if there’s a lot of broadleaf dock in bloom on the pasture, as mulching can spread its seeds, which remain viable for decades. In this case, dock should be controlled chemically. Organic farms may cut the plant when its stored energy is concentrated in the upper parts, which happens between flowering and seed formation. This is the only time cutting weakens the plant. The same approach applies to thistles. Although thistle flowers are nutritious for horses, thistles spread quickly and can become overwhelming.
Use of Irrigation Management
Every pasture needs fresh water accessible to horses at all times. Studies show that horses drink more readily when offered an open water source. While convenient, small horse drinking troughs with flow-on-demand systems may lead to insufficient water intake.
With advancing climate change, the relevance of water in pasture care is also growing. Droughts lead to reduced hay quality, while other years bring excessive rain, oversaturating pastures. The search for solutions is urgent. One option is to implement irrigation systems, similar to those used in vegetable farming. They are also becoming increasingly interesting for horse owners.
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The author
The author
My name is Jeannette Aretz and I have been writing about horse training as a specialist journalist for over 20 years. In addition to my work, I design educational movies, conduct shoots and support companies in change processes with my instinct for the latest trends in the industry. With ponychicas, I have created a supportive online environment for women with horses.
Jeannette Aretz
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