Horse pastures and facilities
What plants are poisonous to horses?
How do you know when a pasture is ready to be grazed?
What do you need to know about pasture sampling?
Find research-based answers on pasture and facilities management best practices.
Facilities
Preparing for disaster - Be prepared. Have a first aid kit, evacuation plan and other essentials ready in the event of severe weather, fire or other emergencies.
Black walnut: a toxic horse bedding - Don’t use black walnut shavings for horse bedding. Toxicity signs include stocking up, warm hooves, founder and colic.
Ventilation systems for horse barns - Horse barns need air exchange to remove moisture, prevent condensation and provide fresh air.
Is my barn eco-friendly? - How can you minimize impacts on the environment? Learn tips for water, erosion control and more.
Pastures
Pasture care
- Fall and spring pasture to-do list - There are many chores to be completed in the fall and spring. Learn when it’s the best time to do common tasks.
- Frost seeding forages into established horse pastures
- Managing established horse pastures - Each pasture needs rest and regrowth between grazing events.
- Managing grazing livestock during wet weather
- Planning your horse pasture site - Design pastures that meet your farm’s needs and are safe for both you and your horse.
Weed control
- Grass pasture weed control - Control consists of mechanical, chemical and cultural methods.
- Identifying and controlling weeds - Weeds can lower the nutritional value of pastures and some may harm your horse’s health.
- Identifying and controlling knapweeds in pastures - Knapweeds can overtake grasslands, reduce pasture productivity and hay quality, and outcompete native prairie plants.
- Plants commonly found in horse pastures - This book includes recommended pasture species and will help you identify non-poisonous weeds.
- Weed management for pasture and fence line systems
Soils
How to take a soil sample for your pasture (10:18)
Whether establishing or maintaining a pasture, it is important to know about your soil. Learn how to get a representative sample of soil from your pasture.
- Cool-season perennial grasses
- Cover crops for horse pastures
- Fitting teff into the horse diet
- Grass mixtures for Midwest horse pastures
- Grazing horses on grass and legume mixed pastures
- Grazing horses on cool-season annual grasses
- Grazing horses on warm-season annual grasses
Plants commonly found in horse pastures - This book includes recommended pasture species and will help you identify non-poisonous weeds.
Videos
When to initiate horse grazing (6:53)
Many horse owners struggle with determining when to initiate grazing. Learn how to use plant height to determine when to start and stop grazing a horse pasture.
Pasture sampling (8:17)
How to sample pasture plants to understand nutrient content of forage.
FAQs about pasture sampling (2:52)
- How often do I need to sample my pasture?
- How many samples do I need to take for my pasture size?
- What lab should I send my samples to?
- Black walnut: a toxic horse bedding
- Boxelder seeds cause seasonal pasture myopathy in horses
- Chokecherry: a lethal plant to horses
- Hoary alyssum: the most common poisonous plant to horses in Minnesota
- Are maple leaves toxic to horses?
- Oak buds and green acorns can harm horses
- Plants poisonous to livestock
- Plants that cause mouth blisters in horses
- Tall and smallflower buttercup: problem horse pasture plants
- Weed seeds toxic to horse
- White snakeroot: a toxic plant to horses
- Wild parsnip: problem plant in hay and pastures
The book, Plants Poisonous or Harmful to Horses in the Midwest (2020 Edition), is for sale in the University of Minnesota Bookstore. Get $5 off your order when purchased in combination with the Plants Poisonous or Harmful to Horses poster.