For other classes of horses, there have been no reported health problems when grazing tall fescue. Orchardgrass and timothy are high quality bunch grasses that require more careful management to be productive and persistent under horse grazing. While timothy can provide high quality forage, it is often not the best choice for pasture in Virginia because of poor summer growth due to a lack of heat and drought tolerance. Alfalfa should only be used where soils are well-drained and the pH is at least 6.2. It is important to regulate grazing to maintain legumes in the stand.
Tall grass tends to crowd out clover.
If the clover is thinning, keep the pasture grazed or clipped to reduce grass competition. This will improve the legume's chances of flourishing. While horses generally prefer grasses to legumes, they do graze some legume. Legumes will enrich their diet, improve summer pasture production, and provide fixed nitrogen to the pasture grasses. Pasture production can be stabilized by having different forage species in various pastures, thus extending the grazing season.