We talk all the time about hays and hard feeds, but the reality is that, in terms of volume, horses eat far more pasture than anything else. Horses can eat 5% of their bodyweight in forage in just a few hours. Many horses will exceed their calorie requirements just on pasture, but calories is not the same as nutrient content.
Most horse owners don't have the ability to dig up and completely re-sow their pastures, so it's important to know what you have and then you can balance your other feeds to that pasture, and also be on the look-out for health conditions that may arise due to the type of pasture you have. Read more here about trace minerals that are typically deficient in pastures.
“Pasture improved” is not necessarily a benefit for horses. Usually pasture improvement is designed to fatten and finish beef cattle - in which case longevity is not a priority.
There is a very useful website called feedipedia, that has a comprehensive list of all the feeds, a description and then a tab for nutrient analysis. Here is an alphabetical list of cereal forages and grasses from that site.
10 Common Pasture Grasses
Kikuyu Grass (Pennisetum clandestinum)
Positives: Rapid growth, palatable, tolerant to heavy grazing and trampling, thrives in various soil types.
Negatives: Can become invasive if not managed, often becomes too dense and crowds out other species, high in oxalate (oxalates bind minerals in the gut and limit absorption - particularly calcium) so horses on kikuyu pastures generally require calcium supplementation. Read more about big head here.
Kikuyu pastures can be high in nitrates, particularly if they have been fertilised.
Rhodes Grass (Chloris gayana)
Positives: Tolerates drought conditions, nutrient-rich, suitable for hot climates, low maintenance.
Negatives: May not perform well in cooler regions, can become invasive if not managed properly. The nutrient content of Rhodes is highly variable. Protein content is higher when it’s young rather than when it is mature. If you are buying Rhodes hay cut later you will need to supplement, but it is a good source of fibre and safer for horses with metabolic dysfunction.
Couch Grass (Cynodon dactylon)
Positives: Drought-resistant, palatable to horses, low maintenance, stands up well to trampling.
Negatives: Can become invasive if not managed properly, may require regular slashing to maintain quality, high in oxalate so horses will require calcium supplementation. I’m not a fan of couch, but it’s hard to avoid.
Tall Fescue (Festuca arundinacea)
Positives: Tolerates a wide range of soil types, good for erosion control, provides good forage.
Negatives: Can contain endophytes that produce toxins harmful to horses, especially pregnant mares.
Ryegrass (Lolium spp.)
Positives: Can be a good source of protein, good for cooler climates, fast-growing.
Negatives: Can harbour mycotoxins which can cause problems in horses such as “grass tetany” or “rye grass staggers”. It’s high in sugar which can lead to laminitis.
Phalaris (Phalaris aquatica)
Positives: Drought-tolerant, good for erosion control.
Negatives: Can be toxic to horses if not managed properly, especially in young growth stages.
Setaria (Setaria Viridis)
Positives: Drought Tolerance: Setaria is highly drought-tolerant and can thrive in various soil types. Rapid Growth: It grows quickly, providing a reliable source of forage.
Negatives: High Oxalate Content: Setaria contains extremely high levels of oxalates, which can bind to calcium in the horse's digestive system, leading to calcium deficiency and conditions like Big Head Syndrome. Horses grazing on Setaria will require additional calcium and phosphorus supplementation to prevent deficiencies.
Can accumulate selenium.
Paspalum (Paspalum dilatatum)
Positives: Adaptability: Paspalum is adaptable to various soil types and climates, making it a versatile pasture grass. It's seasonal.
Negatives: Toxic Fungus: The seed heads of Paspalum can contain a toxic fungus (Claviceps paspali) that causes symptoms like muscle tremors, uncoordinated movements, and even paralysis in horses. Unpalatability: Horses generally find Paspalum unpalatable and may avoid grazing on it (maybe this should be in the positive paragraph). It also can stick to their legs. They will frequently get greasy heel when grazing on paspalum. They will get the same scabbing on white skin on their faces. You can use any nappy rash cream to combat that.
Clover (Trifolium repens)
Positives: Clover is rich in protein. Palatability: Horses generally find clover palatable, making it an attractive forage option. Soil Health: Clover is a nitrogen-fixing plant, which means it can improve soil fertility and promote the growth of other nutritious grasses in the pasture.
Negatives: Clover, especially red and white clover, can be infected by a fungus called Rhizoctonia leguminicola, which produces a toxin called slaframine. This toxin can cause excessive drooling in horses, a condition known as "slobbers". Photosensitization: Red clover contains compounds that can make some horses more sensitive to sunlight, leading to skin irritation or sunburn-like symptoms. Bloat: Like other legumes, clover can increase the risk of bloat in horses, which is a potentially life-threatening condition. Cyanide Poisoning: Under certain environmental conditions, white clover can develop high levels of cyanogenic glycosides, which can potentially lead to cyanide poisoning in horses.
Blood Clotting Issues: Sweet clover contains coumarin, which can interfere with blood clotting and cause bleeding disorders if consumed in large quantities over time.
Buffel grass (Cenchrus ciliaris)
Positives: buffel is relatively harmless! It's highly drought resistant and responds quickly to rain.
Negatives: they don't like to eat it.
OMG everything is toxic!
You're probably thinking "it's all poisonous!". Most of these problems are manageable and relatively rare. Ideally you want to have as many species as possible in your pasture so they are not eating only one thing. If your pasture is a monoculture as kikuyu often is, or rye under-sown with clover, you can provide variety by adding hay.
We also have a product called mycosorb which is a toxin binder. It's only 10g per day, so very low inclusion.
We have perennial rye and paspalum in our pasture and we feed mycosorb to our horses when those two species are flowering. It's a very handy supplement to have on hand so you can quickly nip any problems in the bud.
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