# Rotating Pastures



## horseylover1_1 (Feb 13, 2008)

Hi all,

After more than a year of boarding my horse (and a new friend ) are finally home!

My land is not that big, about 3.5 acres. I have come to terms with the fact I will need to feed hay year long, especially if I end up with more horses. They are out on pasture 24/7 currently. 

I want to rotate pastures so that the grass stays healthy as possible under the circumstances, and I wanted to know how often to do that? Every other day? Week? Month? Varies depending on rain? The grass does go pretty fast around here. Most people have to mow their lawn every week and if you skip a week it's pretty long. 

Any input from ones with small pastures would be appreciated!


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## Werecat (Aug 23, 2015)

Hello! Another first year keeping horses at home person here! 

I've got my horse here as well as one other horse who belongs to my best friend. My entire property is a little under 6 acres. I tried to keep most of it pasture, but even with the house, barn, paddock, pond etc. I still have about 3.5-4 acres maybe? of pasture. Right now it's split up into 2 big fields. One we just got 217 premium square bales off of, and the horses have been on the "sacrifice" side since December. I'm shocked. I have too much grass. Yes, it's early in the season, but with just the two horses being on the sacrifice side, that hasn't been sprayed for weeds like the hay side has, though it was fertilized, my horses can't keep up; I have to mow it at least every one to two weeks. I'm about to cross fence the big field where we hayed, and start rotating them every week, but I'm starting to panic at the idea of all the mowing.

Word of advice, how you treat your pastures heavily depends on the quality of grass and how densely it grows and how strong your root system is. I lime, spray, fertilize as needed. You're going to want to take a soil sample each year to your local ag extension office and then go to your local coop to get the proper fertilizer and such mixed up. Fertilizing helps a lot with helping the grass keep up with the horses grazing. Amine 4 Shredder, I believe it's called, has worked amazing with spraying for weeds. So far we only spray once a year, but I'll probably spray again this fall, because this is the first year we're not just growing hay, and we've got horses here.

Fertilize and spray for weeds at least once a year (around spring time, march/april and then fertilize right after around april/ early may) is my biggest suggestion. The higher quality grass you have, the more it'll grow and be able to handle your two horses grazing on it where you wont have to hay during the grass growing months. And yes, rotate them!  Maybe once every week or so, and make sure you do proper manure management. I refuse to muck pastures, so a friend of mine made me a drag and I pull it behind my 4 wheeler (but a strong mower can pull one too), and I drag it every time I get ready to mow.


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## cbar (Nov 27, 2015)

I am in the same boat. I have about 4-5 acres of pasture for my horses. So I do feed hay year round and rotate them. Currently I have about 2 acres in my front paddock and about 3 acres in the trees. Then a small dry lot. 

I rotate them from the trees to the front paddock every other day/few days to prevent them eating the areas down to a golf course. Of course, they are selective grazing, so some areas are nibbled down and others are super over-grown (so annoying!) 

My horses stay overnight in my sacrifice/dirt lot and get fed hay - so they aren't on grass 24/7. 

This is my 3rd year battling the weeds and trying to maintain a healthy paddock. We have sprayed and fertilized - harrowed and mowed the paddock and still losing the battle with an invasive weed. 

I pick manure daily in my dry lot, but just harrow the other paddocks in the fall and in the spring.


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## horselovinguy (Oct 1, 2013)

Congratulations on getting the "friends" home...huge step and accomplishment.


So, what your pasture is comprised of in grass will mean a lot in maintaining or abusing and paying the price...
_So, no pasture is ever fully grazed._ 
Horses _*are*_ picky eaters and whatever you think you have in edible is probably going to be 2/3_ {if you're lucky}_ eaten the rest just looks green and pretty but remains untouched.
Established pasture needs just as much care as a new one...
*Seasonal spraying of fertilizer and weed contro*l product by a good commercial sprayer is essential....
Sometimes not only is a liquid spray used but then a drop spreader is on the pasture making adjustments to what the soil and plant growth needs to flourish.
Rainy season grass grows fast and can also quickly deplete the ground of nutrients...so there goes the quality.
It takes work to keep a pasture in good condition.
*Mowing,* yes they need mowing so you cut the weeds down before they sprout and spread, worse is steal the nutrients the grass needs to be nutritious for the horses.
I cut our pasture 4 weeks ago, and again tonight will be heading out at sundown when cooler to cut again..
A couple days of rain and the weeds are crazy in growth and the grass is trying to get going and not be choked out...

*Drag *the manure piles helps to naturally spread the poop nutrients and the dragging also aerates the ground for better absorption of rain and destroying of fly and insect larvae we need to be aware of but not want to discuss here.
I have a farm tractor so implements to help me maintain...dragging that pasture helps a lot...
My pasture is scheduled for another weed & feed session this week upcoming...was done in February as weather started to warm we needed to stimulate the earth to awaken from winter blahs..
I can drop spread powders but spray fertilizer and weed control I found works better, faster and seems to last longer for me.

4 horses, out 16 hours and my pasture is sustaining.
I do feed morning and evening hay along with feed since some horses _do not _hold weight for various reasons. We supplement as needed dictated by each animals individual needs what they eat.._.in other words, I feed them besides out on pasture currently._
I have 3 fields, 2 are 2.5 acres each, 1 field is a acre and 1 field is a sacrifice paddock connected to, surrounding my barn.
So, 2 horses get to go out daily {we rotate which 2} and gorge my one pasture, the others go out on the 1 acre field and eat for 5 hours a day...
Every weekend I open the other field for them and close off the one they have been gorging on...
So, on a week off a week, when I rotate those fields I also jump on the tractor and drag the manure accumulation spots to reduce flies, stench and let that grass recover too...
My sacrifice paddock is used daily as it is also my barn and feeding area.
My horses have the routine down pat...they know better than I who stays in, who goes out and where...they line up to the gate appropriate.
But if you don't rotate, don't maintain with cutting {_*never*_ lower than 6"}, fertilize and use weed control your pasture will not produce and will get overrun with pretty weeds but nothing nutritious.

So, my farm tractor has 2 drags...
First is better known as a landscape rake...can gouge the ground deeply if not careful.
QtrBel suggested to turn the rake backward so it skim not dig in and that works pretty good...:smile:
My other drag...is a old chain-link fence section towed behind from a chain with cinder blocks on it...it just busts up clumps and skims but not aerate the ground with "fingers" teeth touching/fluttering as we make passes back and forth.
Between those and the bush-hog for mowing I can do most of it...
I do spend the $ for the local commercial sprayer to come in and cover the ground in heavy applied concentrates...

*cbar....let the guy who sprays know about the weed issues.*
_Call him so he can come check and add in the tank the exact "thing" needed to wipe out that particular weed._

_Hope this helps sharing what I do...sounds very similar to what others are also doing. :smile:
_:runninghorse2:_..._
_jmo...
_


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## loosie (Jun 19, 2008)

From the 'fat horse' thread I just replied to; track system(alas, not currently set up at new property), so they a) are motivated to move more, b)are greatly restricted in pasture and c) I can easily move internal fences easily to create pockets of rotational grazing into the main paddock, so as to not overgraze the vast majority. And d) I can also add cavaletti(well, logs) in areas, so they have to do some of that each day - great for the pony with locking stifle & I when I don't have to take more time to exercise him like that.

For those & other reasons, I'd(I will) install a track system. Electric fencing for internal, so it's very easy to move. Then, while the track will become overgrazed quickly, you can just close off other areas before they get eaten down too much & keep the vast majority of your pasture healthy - yes, just play it by ear as to how long you leave it. Might even be able to cut hay from it at times too! I've no illusions here about being able to cut hay, but I'm also thinking that a double electric fence with a track in between may be effective at keeping the kangaroos away, so I'd have a lot more grass for horses. I rest the paddocks to let them grow but there's always a big mob of roos grazing on the new growth!


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## horseylover1_1 (Feb 13, 2008)

Thank you everyone, for your comments and thoughts! I meant to respond sooner but as you all can imagine, having your own land does keep you busier than usual. 

I currently have a small pen with a 60' round pen in it. They had to stay there the first week while I was finishing up the other fencing. Ate it bare. Thankfully, a week or two later, the grass is healthy and growing nicely. So I will be able to let them in it again.

The other pasture.. it's hard to say how large it is. We have 3.5 acres but about .5+ is wooded. The house/garage/septic field area sits on about a quarter-half acre. And there is another small area, maybe a half acre, that is not fenced yet. I would say the larger field is at least an acre and a half, but probably closer to 2. Thankfully the field is still healthy and all they've needed is grass. They are VERY easy keepers.

I must say, mowing has gotten a lot easier...lol


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## Avna (Jul 11, 2015)

For cattle, a rule of thumb is, you take the cattle out when the grass is 4" on average. You can put them back in when the grass is 6" tall.


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