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horse pasture

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Bill from MA

Member
My wife and I have been looking at small horse properties where the pastures have not been been cut or grazed for some time.

They are very overgrown. Nothing a bush hog can"t handle but lots of heavy weeds.

A friend"s horse had a near death experience because of Hoary Alyssum so we are wondering if it is safe to cut the fields back and use them or should they be plowed or disk-ed and replanted?

Bill
 
I put myself in your place on your question. I guess the answer is, take an inventory of the weeds and see if there's anything toxic. If not, I'd brush-hog is a few time- usually, the grass will come back a lot better than the weeds, and eventually you can make it into a decent pasture.

Plowing and reseeding appeals to the crop farmers on here, but that is a difficult proposition with horses, because they tend to over-graze new seedings, plus punch big holes in them with their hooves. You're much better off getting established sod back into production, if it is an option.
 
If the main problem is weeds and not small trees (2 inches in diameter or more), bush hog it, wait two weeks, then apply a horse-friendly herbicide.

You bush hog before spraying because tall weeds hinder a good application of herbicide. You wait two weeks for new leaves to sprout so you have enough vegetation to absorb the herbicide, but not so much that it blocks adequate application.

We have a coastal bermuda field that provides the hay for my horses. We use GrazonNext for weed control. It will take out the broad leaf weeds and frequently will take out small saplings not more than 2ft tall. We have been using it for several years and it is very effective on both annual and perennial broad leaf weeds. Even takes out cactus.

There are no grazing restrictions with GrazonNext so the field can be used for grazing immediately.
 
Its that 1 in 100 thing, the trouble is guess which lottery a person ends up winning? ;)

Plowing it up breaks open a whole new bank of weed seeds, so I would work with what you have, if mostly grass is there. If the weeds are terrible, need to work with it some. If they are light, mow it, wait a bit, spray it if tat doesn't bother you, and fertilize it. You will get good grass pretty quick, with less fuss.

Paul
 
Mow and spray, mow and spray. Weed man at U of KY says horses won't generally eat poisonous weeds if thay have a good grass alternative.

I use either Crossbow or Weedmaster. No grazing restricions for horses...but check that for yourself. They are more expensive but for small pastures it is only a few bucks difference, for much more effectiveness.
 
I agree. If you plow and seed, you also plant any weed seeds that may be there.

One area we started working on was so bad, we plowed and sprayed with round up for 3 years before it got clean enough to seed. Now, it has one of the nicest stands of grass on our place.
 
I have a similar problem with weedy pastures. I've found something that helps is to keep it mowed, gives the grass a chance to compete with the broadleaf weeds. Will start spraying again this fall when the weather cools (and now that my spraying vehicle is back in service!).
 
I know that MA is a bastion of fine Universities, but here in Kentucky we are close behind. We actually have a Professor of Weeds at U of K, and an expert in snakes at the Dept of Fish and Wildlife. Hows that for sophistication?
 
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