Do not put horses into the pasture for the first time when they are hungry. Horses accustomed to grazing pasture should be gradually introduced to pasture over a period of several days. Use a pasture system containing a pure grass pasture for early spring and for fall grazing after September 15 th . Grazing alfalfa past mid-September may greatly decrease its winter survival rate. Grazing Management Manage grazing to benefit both horses and pasture.
Pasture plants have high energy and protein contents until they begin to flower, or heat out.
Therefore, grazing management should be designed to prevent or reduce heading. Pasture plants that are grazed too short will have reduced leaf area and recover more slowly to produce less yield for the season. Controlled grazing contributes to pasture productivity. This is because horse farms usually have a small number of large pastures. In addition, horses bite off grass cleanly and leave short stubble in contrast to cattle that tear and pull grass and leave longer stubble.