Over the years, University of Minnesota Extension’s pasture-related research has helped horse owners choose the ideal pasture forages and maintain perennials in their landscapes.
It also keeps horses healthier with nutrient-dense pastures and helps owners reduce feed costs compared to feeding hay—a win-win-win for the environment, horses, and horse owners.
1. Grazing perennial cool-season grasses
In multiple research studies, we found that horses prefer Kentucky bluegrass, with a lesser preference for orchardgrass, when planted alone.
We then determined that horses preferred mixtures of endophyte-free tall fescue, perennial ryegrass, Kentucky bluegrass and timothy. This mixture also yields well, withstands grazing pressure, and meets the nutritional needs of most classes of horses.
2. Grazing annuals
Two separate studies evaluated grazing cool- and warm-season annuals. We found that annual ryegrass, a cool-season annual, is a good option for horse owners looking to extend the grazing season or when in need of a quick-growing emergency forage.
In a separate study, we found that teff, a warm-season annual, could be used in Midwest horse pastures as an emergency forage or to maximize grazing during the summer slump commonly seen in perennial cool-season pastures. Horses diagnosed with metabolic conditions may benefit from grazing teff as it has a lower nonstructural carbohydrate content.
3. Grazing legumes
We found that while alfalfa was the highest yielding legume, horses have a stronger preference for clovers. While legumes can be good pasture species for horses diagnosed with metabolic disorders due to lower levels of nonstructural carbohydrates, they tend to be more calorically dense, which can lead to weight gain.
4. Identifying key differences between forage types
We compared teff, alfalfa, and cool-season grasses (such as Kentucky bluegrass). We found that teff has lower amounts of nonstructural carbohydrates, digestible energy, and amino acids, and higher fiber values compared to cool-season grass and alfalfa.
When grazed by horses, blood insulin levels were lower for horses grazing teff compared to cool-season grasses in the fall and late fall. Horses grazing teff had similar blood amino acid responses compared to the other forages, suggesting that the lower amino acid content of teff is not detrimental to mature horses in the maintenance stage of life.
5. Grazing cover crops
Cover crops are commonly used to provide environmental benefits and can extend the grazing season. We evaluated cover crops in horse pastures and found that berseem clover is the lowest-producing forage, yet it is the most preferred by horses.
All forages meet the digestible energy and crude protein requirements for adult horses at the maintenance stage. We prioritized preference and concluded that berseem clover, annual ryegrass, and winter rye are suitable cover crops to extend the grazing season in horse pastures.