Introducing Horses to Spring Growing Pastures
Posted: March 25, 2015
Spring Grazing Preparation
- Horse owners are anticipating the joy of realizing that the long harsh winter
is gradually changing into the pleasures of spring.
- Along with the warmer
temperatures, changes occur to the condition of the pastures where grasses turn
to a greener appearance and will contain healthy nutritional value for the
- It won’t be long until the sound of lawnmowers will be abundant and farmers will be processing the first cutting of hay.
Horses Confined During Winter Months
- During the winter months and times of inclement weather, domestic horses are
often confined in areas where they cannot access natural forage on a day to day
- Most horse owners that have pastures for their horses tend to restrict
the horse in winter from the pasture to protect the pasture from the damage a
horse can inflict. Horses are destructive on wet pastures often ripping with
their teeth the forage by the roots or causing extensive damage to the sod, by
churning and forming rivets with their hoofs.
- A horse owner who wishes to
provide the supplement a pasture can provide to the horse’s diet must take a
concentrated effort in maintaining a healthy pasture year round. These owners
often have sacrifice or dry-lot areas for the horse’s daily exercise and turn
out during inclement weather and the long months of winter.
Problems Associated with Introducing Horses in the Spring to Growing Pastures
- A problem can occur with the acclimation of horses to forage when spring
arrives and the horses are introduced to a diet of green grasses.
- Horses are a
grazing animal that prefer to supply the nutrients and fiber needed in their
system by eating natural pasture forage.
A good healthy well-maintained pasture might provide all the necessary forage a horse needs in its diet. The problem for the horse owner is the challenge of controlling the amount of consumption of the green grass when returning the horse to grazing. When the horse’s metabolism is not accustomed to the lush forage dramatic side effects can occur.
The horse’s digestive system does not adjust to changes rapidly or easily. Horses fed erratically in both amounts and types of digestible items tend to develop problems that can occur in the consequence of colic or founder. A horse not use to eating apples can develop colic if suddenly a bag of apples is consumed. Innocent people think they are giving the horse a treat when they feed them large amounts of carrots or throw the fresh lawn clippings over the fence for the horse to chomp on; when actually they could be causing a harmful chain reaction.
Introducing Horses to Grazing
- One method of gradually introducing the horse to grass is to begin with small
controlled periods of grazing of 15 minutes a day for a few days.
- Increase in
the following days an additional ten minutes each turn out until the horse has
adjusted to a 3 or 4 hour period of grazing time.
- Then maintain this 4 hour
period of grazing for a two week period before giving the horse total turn-out
on the pasture. This will enable the horse’s digestive system to accept the
digestion of the fresh grass.
- Even with the most careful management of horse forage consumption ill effects can occur.
Notice what the hose consumes
- The actual horse owner or a well wishing bystander should always take notice
of what is fed to the horse. If you don’t own the horse, ask for permission
before you offer, what you think are treats.
- Avoid letting horses consume other
livestock’s processed feeds or silage.
- Even different types of forage plants
can disrupt the digestive system of the horse.
- Consult with a veterinarian or a
horse nutritionist when considering changes in the horse’s diet.
- Additional knowledge can be obtained by researching articles published on horse nutrition and pasture usage. Penn State Extension Equine provides educational fact sheets for horse owners on pasture management and grass forage, along with many topics related to horse ownership. http://extension.psu.edu/animals/equine
- For more information on managing the introduction to your horse to spring forage contact your local Penn State Extension Office.