Converting foodplot back into pasture

[eclipseman]

Ok so I know this is a good plot forum but I’m hoping there are maybe some farmers on here. I have a good plot that was half brassica and half clover two years ago. 4 acres total. We just put a fence around it to have a horse. Last summer I brush hogged everything down low (the brassica side was basically dirt anyways) and planted a variety of grasses for the horse pasture. It is now growing well on the brassica side but is struggling on the clover side (the horse will eat ladino anyway). My question is should I be brush hogging this pasture while there is no horse in it (the horse won’t be here until next summer) or should I let all the grasses go to seed which might help thicken things up? Thanks!

 

[H80Hunter]

I'm not really an authority here, but my guess would be to let the grass go to seed unless there are weed issues. Don't let the weeds go to seed -- if there are too many of them I'd mow them off regardless of what the grass looked like and then overseed in the fall.

 

[j-bird]

What the guy across from me does is he mows when the weeds need it. He then will drill or broadcast more grass seed if/when needed. Clover and grass should be fine as the clover should produce N that the grass likes. I know clover can cause bloat in some animals and certain grasses can also have adverse affects on animals as well.....so just make sure your growing stuff that is good for the horse. You may also want to consider some sort of rotation as well....to allow the grasses to recover. The neighbor here does that with a hot wire or two and simply moves it around roughly every month so the horses have fresh grass. I'm not a horse or livestock guy.....this is just what I see folks do.

 

[sagittarius]

My neighbor has horses, our old hay fields started the same, his went to horse pasture, mine went into foodplots. The horses will cherry pick any clover or alfalfa over grass, but too much is bad for them. You definitely want 99% plus grass. You could spray a 2,4-D weed killer to knock back the weeds and clover, ect. just so the grasses can dominate. Then you could send in a forage sample, just to be sure the grasses are providing the right nutrients. Check for deficiencies or excesses of any nutrients, then broadcast fertilizer accordingly.

Many places sell specific horse pasture grass mixes.
Albert Lea Seed: DAN PATCH HORSE PASTURE MIX

• 20% Tirem Kentucky Bluegrass
• 20% Ginger Kentucky Bluegrass
• 15% Laura Meadow Fescue
• 15% Barolex Tall Fescue
• 10% BG-24T Perennial Ryegrass
• 10% Climax Timothy
• 10% Annual Ryegrass

https://www.alseed.com/product/dan-patch-horse-pasture-mix/

 

[IkemanTx]

Do NOT put horses on a field that is 50% clover!!! You could likely lose a horse.

Slaframine poisoning can occur with red clovers

Sweet Clover Poisoning can occur when enough moisture persists to allow mold growth (abdominal bleeding, thinned blood, swollen joints, lameness)

And Alsike is toxic to horses in large quantities as well. (Photosensitivity and liver damage)

You could also have drastic issues with rumen PH creating high gas loads or gut blockages.

We almost lost 3 separate horses over 10 years (when I was growing up) due to not properly managing our clover percentages. If it wasn’t for a very knowledgeable vet, they would have been goners.

I would highly recommend spraying a broadleaf herbicide labeled for clover and keeping horses off until the clover content was AT LEAST below 10%... and preferably lower than 5%


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