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Grass mixtures for Midwest horse pastures

Grass mixtures containing the following species are good for Midwest horse pastures.

  • Endophyte-free tall fescue

  • Perennial ryegrass

  • Kentucky bluegrass

  • Timothy

These species mixes will likely result in preferred, persistent and high yielding horse pastures.

Horses grazing cool-season grass pasture mixes.

Cool-season grasses are the basis of productive horse pastures in the Midwest. As selective grazers, horses can graze forage species shorter than other livestock. This grazing behavior can:

  • Limit the growth and survival of some forage species

  • Affect uniform use, yield and persistence of forage species, especially if horses repeatedly graze preferred species

We looked at horse preference, yield and species persistence of cool-season grass mixtures under horse grazing. Understanding these characteristics in grass pasture mixes can help you select an ideal grass pasture mix.

Testing grass mixtures

We grazed four adult horses on eight commercially marketed cool-season pasture mixes. All mixtures contained four to six cool-season perennial grass species (table 1).

We measured the species population density each spring and fall and the yield before each grazing. We took and dried subsamples of forage to determine dry matter content for yield.

Post grazing we visually assessed horse preference by the percent of forage removed on a scale of 0 (no grazing) to 100 (100 percent of vegetation removed).

Results

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Recommendations

You should plant the following species in Midwest horse pastures.

  • Endophyte-free tall fescue

  • Perennial ryegrass

  • Kentucky bluegrass

  • Timothy

Over time, endophyte-free tall fescue and Kentucky bluegrass will likely dominate these mixtures.

Planting mixtures similar to Agassiz CHS #4 and La Crosse BLM #4 should result in high yielding, persistent and preferred grass horse pastures in the Midwest (table 1).

Table 1. Initial composition, forage yield (ton per acre) and preference (percent removal) of eight cool-season grass mixtures grazed by horses in Minnesota.

Mixture Species Initial mixture composition (%) Yield (tons/acre) Preference (% removal)
Agassiz CHS #4 Tall Fescue 40 3.1 88
Perennial Ryegrass 30 3.1 88
KY Bluegrass 15 3.1 88
Timothy 15 3.1 88
Agassiz MN-G Meadow Bromegrass 30 3.2 45
Orchardgrass 30 3.2 45
Tall Fescue 30 3.2 45
Perennial Ryegrass 10 3.2 45
CR Heavy KY Bluegrass 45 2.7 46
Orchardgrass 35 2.7 46
Timothy 20 2.7 46
Perennial Ryegrass 10 2.7 46
CR Light KY Bluegrass 40 3.1 48
Orchardgrass 20 3.1 48
Crested Wheatgrass 10 3.1 48
Meadow Bromegrass 10 3.1 48
Perennial Ryegrass 10 3.1 48
Timothy 10 3.1 48
Dan Patch KY Bluegrass 40 3 59
Smooth Bromegrass 20 3 59
Perennial Ryegrass 15 3 59
Orchardgrass 15 3 59
Timothy 10 3 59
La Crosse BLM #4 Perennial Ryegrass 30 2.8 91
Annual Ryegrass 20 2.8 91
Tall Fescue 20 2.8 91
KY Bluegrass 15 2.8 91
Timothy 15 2.8 91
Marties Timothy 40 2.7 67
Tall Fescue 25 2.7 67
Orchardgrass 20 2.7 67
KY Bluegrass 10 2.7 67
Perennial Ryegrass 5 2.7 67
Waconia Mix KY Bluegrass 35 3.1 63

Authors: Krishona Martinson, Extension equine specialist, Craig Sheaffer, professor of agronomy and plant genetics, College of Food Agriculture and Natural Resource Science, and M. Samantha Wells, Extension agronomist

Reviewed in 2021

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