Grazing healthy pasture supports a horse’s well-being, and maintaining that pasture takes consistent time and effort. Understanding what affects pasture quality and making thoughtful management changes can lead to healthier, more nutrient-rich grass for horses. Soil testing, proper composting, aeration, and rotational grazing all play key roles in promoting pasture health.

Testing Soil to Keep Horse Pastures Healthy

Soil testing plays a key role in maintaining productive pastures because it allows you to assess nutrient levels, pH, and other factors. “Soil tests are recommended to determine which nutrients your soil may be lacking that grasses need for optimal growth,” says Carey Williams, PhD, equine extension specialist, professor, and director of the Endocrinology and Animal Biosciences Graduate Program at Rutgers University, in New Brunswick, New Jersey.

Williams recommends testing your soil every three years because soil nutrients do not change rapidly. “If you follow the recommendations from the soil test, you will be able to tailor your fertilizer needs to precisely what is missing, avoiding over–fertilization and wasting money,” she says.

Using Compost to Enrich Horse Pastures

Composting offers an effective way to manage manure on horse farms. When done correctly, composting reduces waste volume and can be used to maintain healthy pastures.

“Compost is great for applying natural nutrients to the soil without introducing parasites or weed seeds,” says Williams. “Properly composted manure will kill any parasites or eggs in the manure. However, proper composting is not just leaving manure in the sun to dry and decompose but also involves routine turning and monitoring.”

To compost horse manure, collect the soiled bedding and feed remnants and mix them in a pile or a shed composter. Maintain a moisture level of 55-65% and turn the compost regularly to aerate it and maintain a carbon-to-nitrogen ratio of 20:1 to 30:1. Once fully composted, the material works well as a nutrient-rich addition to pasture soil, helping promote healthy plant growth.

Better Grass Growth With Aeration

Healthy pasture growth depends on more than just sunlight and rain—soil condition plays a big part, too. “Aeration is used to help break up the soil that is typically compacted down by horse hooves,” says Williams. It can also help with water absorption and grass root growth.

“This can be done particularly in autumn before fall grass growth, especially after a dry summer and lots of grazing,” she adds.

Rotational Grazing for Horse Pasture Health

Overgrazing can lead to bare patches and the spread of undesirable grass species or weeds.  Implementing rotational grazing and selecting a diverse mix of grass species can help prevent these issues.

“Rotational grazing helps with allowing better grass growth when conditions are not optimal, or to prevent overgrazing,” says Williams. “Rotational grazing involves moving a herd of horses between several pastures in a way that allows grasses to rest and regrow (at least three weeks) between grazing periods, promoting the regeneration of nutritious plant leaf tissue.”

Williams and a previous graduate student demonstrated clear differences between continuous and rotational systems in how they affect grass regrowth. “Forage nutrient content declines during the grazing period and recovers during the rest period, provided the roots are left intact and the forage has not been overgrazed,” says Williams.

Horses have preferences for certain grass species, which can influence grazing patterns in pastures and lead to overgrazing in specific areas. A mix of cool-season grasses, such as orchardgrass and Kentucky bluegrass, works well for horse pastures because these species thrive under grazing and provide forage horses prefer. Grasses such as bermudagrass tend to thrive in warmer climates.

“I think it’s vital for horse owners to ensure they don’t overgraze their pastures, as that could lead to a complete loss of grass regrowth,” says Williams. “We have demonstrated that pastures that have been continuously grazed over a two-year period fail to regrow to a recommended vegetative cover of 70%, which is necessary for optimal grazing.”

Take-Home Message

Healthy pastures contribute to your horse herd’s nutrition and well-being, though cultivating them takes time and effort. Soil testing, composting, aerating, and rotational grazing help keep pastures nutrient-rich and resilient to grazing. By understanding and managing these elements, farm managers and owners can maintain productive, sustainable pastures and avoid costly overgrazing issues.