Profitable ruminant livestock production depends on the production of high-quality forages. High yields can only be obtained from a dense, vigorous stand of an adapted forage species. The first step in obtaining such a stand is establishment. The establishment phase of forage production is critical because all other management practices depend upon a healthy sod. Forage establishment begins long before the actual seeding. Successful forage establishment requires careful planning and attention to detail.

This publication is a one page poster regarding Maintaining Healthy Horse Pastures. Download pdf in right sidebar.

Pasture renovation can be defined as a series of practices that will result in long-term improvement in the health, productivity, and botanical composition of pastures. These practices may include interseeding legumes and grasses, fertilizing, liming, controlling weeds, and improving grazing management. Successful renovation requires planning, time lines, and attention to detail. It is important to determine why the previous stand did not persist before reseeding pastures. It is essential that these problems be addressed in a long-term pasture management plan.

Weeds constantly invade crop fields and pastures; therefore, it is important to know the potential quality of individual weed species in making management decisions concerning weed control. It is frequently assumed that weeds have low nutritive value and livestock will not eat weeds, so expensive and time-consuming measures are often used for their control.¹² Some weeds are toxic or poisonous to livestock, and certain weeds are unpalatable – causing a reduction in total intake.⁹ Several weed species have thorns or spines that can injure the grazing animal’s mouth and/or irritate its eyes, which may lead to pinkeye.⁹ Other weeds can cause the milk and meat of livestock to have a negative taste or odor. Weeds also compete with cultivated crops and forages for moisture, light, and nutrients, but many weeds are nutrient-rich and digestible.⁹ The objective of this review paper is to recognize the nutritional values of weeds commonly found in pastures.²

Perennial cool-season forage grasses are the foundation of ruminant livestock production systems in Virginia. Sound management of these grasses begins with proper species and variety selection. This report is a summary of forage variety trials performed with perennial cool-season grasses at Virginia Tech Agricultural Research and Extension Centers (ARECs) from 2002 through 2004. It includes trials seeded at the Southern Piedmont AREC (SPAREC) at Blackstone and at the Tidewater AREC, Suffolk, September 2001 and harvested for three years (2002 through 2004) 

Well-managed pastures can provide a relatively inexpensive and high-quality feed source for horses in Virginia. In contrast, poorly managed pastures are less adequate nutritionally and can reduce environmental quality. Proper pasture management starts with forage establishment. The establishment phase of forage production is critical since all other management practices depend on a healthy sod. Forage establishment begins long before the actual seeding. Successful forage establishment requires a great deal of planning and attention to detail.

Virginia is located in the transition area between the cool temperate and subtropical zones of the United States. Thus, Virginia can produce a wide range of pasture plants, but varying temperatures and soil conditions require that different pasture species be grown in various parts of the state. Total moisture availability and temperatures are favorable to productive pasture, but shortterm drought combined with high temperatures often limits forage growth during the summer months. Choosing the correct forage species is the first step in successful pasture management. Forages used in Virginia's horse pastures should be:

Sound grazing management can decrease feeding expenses and stable cleaning and other chores, leaving more time for the recreational enjoyment of horses. In addition, pastures also help to maintain healthy horses by providing exercise and fresh air. Although properly managed pastures can be beneficial to both the horse and owner; improperly managed pastures can be a serious environmental concern. Poor grazing management results in the loss of groundcover that can lead to soil erosion, the degradation of water quality in neighboring streams and ponds, and increased weed pressure in pastures.

Pasture renovation can be defined as a series of practices that result in long-term improvement in the health, productivity, and botanical composition of pastures. These practices include interseeding legumes and grasses, fertilization, liming, weed control, and improved grazing management. Successful renovation requires planning, timelines, and attention to detail. Before reseeding pastures it is important to determine why the previous stand did not persist. It is essential that these problems be addressed in the long-term pasture management plan.

In Virginia, cool-season grasses produce ample forage in the spring and fall, but high temperatures and short-term drought stress often limit growth during the summer months. Therefore, there is a need for additional grazing, hay or green-chop during July and August. Warm-season annual grasses can fill this gap with relatively high quality forage when properly managed. Advantages to using summer-annual grasses include fast germination and emergence, rapid growth, high productivity, and flexibility of utilization. Warm-season grasses can be grazed as needed and excess growth can be harvested as hay or silage. Major disadvantages include the high cost of annual establishment and the increased risk of stand failure due to variable rainfall in late spring and early summer.