THE MARYLAND HORSE COUNCIL
Farm Stewardship presented by
Keep Your Pasture Green by Maryland Department of Agriculture Office of Resource Conservation Paddocks, riding rings, trails, and pastures are
continuously disturbed areas, under constant physical stress from horses’ hooves. Overgrazed pastures can lead to exposed bare soil that eas- ily erodes. Your local soil conservation district can develop a grazing plan for your operation that is based on your pasture soils, acreage, and grasses. Tese plans are provided free of charge and in- clude advice on the best way to use your land. Fol- lowing their advice is entirely voluntary and cost sharing funding may be available to implement their suggestions. Here are some best manage- ment practices that can help you minimize over- grazing and reduce soil erosion right away.
SELECT PASTURE SITES CAREFULLY If you are establishing a new pasture, select a site that is well drained and located on high ground. Avoid flood plains, drainage areas, and tracts with long, steep slopes. Remember, it is illegal to alter wetlands or streams in any way without proper authorization. Contact your local soil conservation district for help in selecting an appropriate site.
INSPECT ESTABLISHED PASTURES FOR PROBLEMS Tere are many ways to improve the performance of established pas-
tures. Conduct a visual inspection to pinpoint any existing or potential problems. Here are some common problems to look for: • Areas of bare ground • Small rills and gullies • Sediment accumulations at the bottom of a slope
SWITCH TO ROTATIONAL GRAZING Heavily overgrazed pastures offer little feed for horses and may cause colic if soil is ingested while grazing. Maryland pasture grasses generally grow from mid-March through mid-October. Here is an easy way to manage your pastures based on grass height: • Do not actively graze pastures until grasses reach six inches in height. • Remove horses when actively grazed pasture grasses are reduced to three inches. • Allow the pasture grass to regrow to six inches before returning the animals. • Move horses from one pasture to another during the growing season to help reduce overgrazing and increase pasture productivity. • In small pastures, horses should be rotated to another pasture about every two weeks or when growth is three inches or less.
RESEED BARE GROUND, RILLS, AND GULLIES Bare areas are usually sites that have been damaged by heavy animal
traffic, surface water runoff, or both. Tese areas should be leveled and smoothed before seeding. Te best time to reseed is either late winter/
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early spring or late summer (end of August/early September). Contact your local Extension office or soil con- servation district for specifics.
MINIMIZE SPOTTY GROWTH Manure clumps are a major cause of spotty pasture
growth. Most horses will not graze in areas where manure is present. On small parcels, manure should be picked up and removed daily. Dragging can also break up manure. Breaking up manure piles on a regular basis can reduce parasite problems.
CLIP PASTURES TO THE PROPER HEIGHT Horses graze selectively, consuming nutritious young pasture grasses while leaving mature grasses and weeds to produce seeds and spread. Proper mowing is the best way to control weeds and minimize spotty growth. Pasture grasses do best at a height of about six inches.
ESTABLISH A SACRIFICE LOT When pastures are stressed from too much rain, extended dry weather,
overgrazing, or renovation activities, it is time to move your horses to a sacrifice lot. A sacrifice lot is an exercise paddock or riding ring that you don’t expect to keep grassy. • Te area may have grass, wood chips, stone dust, or just plain dirt. • Te intent is to “sacrifice” a small area of your property in order to give your pastures time to recover. • Locate sacrifice lots on high ground, as far away from waterways and wells as possible. • Sacrifice lots near streams will need to comply with the Nutrient Man- agement Program’s 35 ft. setback requirement. • Install buffers or other erosion control measures to prevent runoff. • Consider adding a packed-down layer of bluestone to keep the area from becoming muddy and to help prevent injuries caused by slippery conditions. • Collect manure from sacrifice areas daily and place in a manure storage structure, if possible.
DID YOU KNOW? • As a rule, one or two acres of well-managed pasture can support one mature horse during the grazing season with rotation. • Four or five acres without rotation will support only one mature horse for the entire grazing season.
POOR PASTURE CONDITIONS MAY CAUSE… • Colic and respiratory problems • Dust problems • Degraded water quality • Poor nutrition which may result in a poor coat, weight loss, and parasites
Learn more at
MDA.MARYLAND.GOV/HOW THE EQUIERY YOUR MARYLAND HORSE COUNCIL PUBLICATION | JULY 2024 | 31
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