Planning for Greener Pastures

 Though it doesn't look like it with snow on the ground, there are only 54 days until spring, which means it is time to think about cool season forages for your pasture! Forage selection should be based on horse needs, as there is no one forage best suited for all classes of horses. However, there are hundreds of varieties of grasses and forages to choose from.  With so many forages available, how does one choose?  There are two factors to consider when choosing forages for pastures: preference and persistence.

Preference

Horses, like children, can be picky eaters.  Horses will usually graze preferred forages (usually young, tender shoots and/or leafier varieties of forages with higher sugar content) to the ground, while leaving less palatable forages (usually older, tougher, and/or more fibrous varieties of forages) untouched.  This is why horse pastures often have uneven patches of both over-grazed and under-grazed grasses.  We, as horse owners, spend so much time studying and selecting forages based on their nutritive value (crude protein, energy minerals, etc.) that we often forget that a forage is only useful if the horses actually eat it.  Brussel sprouts may be good for us, but how often do we choose to eat them?  How often does a child, who is also a picky eater, willingly eat brussel sprouts?  Yes, choose forages for their nutritive value, but also make sure that it is a variety that your horses are willing to eat as well.

Persistence

Horses can be rough on pastures.  If given time, they can easily graze the available forages to the ground and turn what was once a nice, lush pasture into a mud lot.  Therefore, horse owners need forages that can not only tolerate heavy grazing, but also recover and grow quickly when given time to rest.  On average, perennial varieties of forages will produce reliably for 5-7 years.  However, heavy grazing can reduce productivity by 3 years.  Having a pasture management plan where horses are rotated off of paddocks to give forages time to rest is key in maintaining persistent forages – even the hardy varieties!

Below is a chart tabulated from a study done in Minnesota on equine grazing preferences of cool season forages:

For more information about selecting and managing forages, check out the following link: http://extension.psu.edu/plants/crops/forages/pastures/animals/pasture-and-hay-for-horses

Cost Centers of Horse Ownership

Economic times since 2007-2008 have made it harder for many folks who love and enjoy owning horses to be able to afford horse ownership.  Here we are eight or nine years later, and disposable income for most families has not gotten much better, yet we still find ways to be able to keep a horse or two and enjoy horse activities.  If the eye test means anything, the number of horses in Granville County has grown a bit over that time span, including the opening of a couple of new boarding and training facilities.

Regardless of the economy, if anyone is going to make the commitment to own a horse, they should recognize what the cost centers are for their horse and make decisions that provide good care, nutrition, shelter, and other aspects of animal care that are in the best interest of the horse without being extravagant.  Of course, what may seem extravagant to one person may seem like a basic necessity to someone else.  Wherever a person is on that scale, let’s take a look at some of the cost centers and see if there are cost savings that can be realized in those.

One of the biggest cost centers of horse ownership is nutrition. A horse can eat a lot of hay and feed, and feed and forage costs money, especially if one is being sold expensive “horse hay”. Any hay can be sold as horse hay, so set some parameters on exactly what hay you want to feed your horses, and verify that is what you are getting.  This blog has several articles on horse nutrition, and there are a lot of resources that give guidance on what the nutritional needs of a horse are.  Knowing the needs and matching those needs with a decent quality forage and supplementing with only what is needed to meet the nutritional needs will go a long way toward meeting reducing nutritional costs.  Yes, good quality hay may cost more per ton, but can in turn reduce how much is spent on grains.  In many cases, horses can do quite well and maintain their body condition score on forage alone.

Have any hay tested for quality, whether it is grown on the farm or purchased.  That is the only way to know exactly what the nutrient levels are in a forage, and that knowledge allows a horse owner to use only the type of supplement needed to meet the nutritional needs of their horses. It also helps folks avoid overpaying for poor quality hay.

Another cost center is tack.  Good tack maintenance helps make saddles and bridles last longer, reducing the need for replacement.  Keeping gear in good repair, cleaned often, and oiled makes it last longer.  Longer lasting gear, means fewer expenditures on new saddles.   The same can be said for blankets, if those are used.  Keep them clean, and consider if they are really needed.  Horses that are clipped regularly certainly will need the extra protection of a blanket, but most horses really don’t need blankets.

Fence repair is another area where a lot of money can be spent in a hurry.  Horses like to lean on fences for some reason.  Perhaps it is just to get the really tasty morsel of grass that is just outside their reach, or to rub against to scratch their back, but wait a little while and the fence will start to lean.  Consider an electrified wire that only gets use on occasion.  Judicious use of an electric fence can extend the life of the rest of the fence even though the electricity is only turned on if there is a problem.

The LSU Ag Center has a number of good references for horse owners.  The LSU Ag Center publication Horse Ownership/Cutting the Cost of Horse Ownership in Tough Financial Times provided some tips for this article, and includes more suggestions that horse owners can use to help reduce the cost of horse ownership.  Reducing basic costs can result in more disposable dollars available to apply toward events and activities to share with one’s horse.

Aging Horses

The past several decades have seen an increase in the proportion of older horses. It is now estimated that horses greater than 16 years of age make up 16 percent of the horse population. 

The aging of the horse population can be credited to improved nutrition, preventative care, and health management.  Additionally, owners have adjusted their expectations of their older equine partners, thus allowing the horses to continue contributing their experience in the years after peak athletic performance is no longer possible.

Aging is a gradual, irreversible process that affects all body systems. It is estimated that at least 70 percent of horses greater than 16 years of age have a medical problem that requires veterinary attention to maintain health or comfort.  

Regular dental care, body condition evaluation, and physical examination are important components of ensuring a healthy, comfortable old-age for your horse.

Common problems seen in the older horse include:

• Declining immune function

• Declining vision

• Poor thermoregulation

• Musculoskeletal problems

                -Sagging of topline and pendulous abdomen

                -Osteoarthritis

                -Suspensory ligament degeneration

                -Laminitis

• Dental problems

                - Missing or broken teeth

                - Malocclusion

• Alterations in body condition

                -Weight loss due to declining feed efficiency, bad teeth, loss of appetite, or concurrent          disease

                - Weight gain due to decreased activity or Equine Metabolic Syndrome

• Altered internal organ function

                -Kidney disease

                -Liver disease

                - Cushing’s Disease (Pituitary Pars Intermedia Dysfunction)

                - Equine Metabolic Syndrome

Below are some additional resources on aging horses

http://extension.uga.edu/publications/detail.cfm?number=B1368 

http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/an253 

http://esc.rutgers.edu/fact_sheet/care-for-the-older-horse-diet-and-health/ 

http://extension.psu.edu/animals/equine/news/2015/older-horse-care 

http://www.unce.unr.edu/publications/files/ag/2000/fs0009.pdf