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This brief guide is intended to provide horse and pony owners and keepers with some basic advice on their grassland management. This is a huge subject, which can only be lightly touched upon here, but will supply details of where to get more information for individual needs. Select from the links below to move to the information within this page.
Introduction
Improving grassland
How many horses or ponies per hectare?
Pasture management
Drainage
Weeds
Rolling, harrowing and mowing
Fertilisers
Dung
Resting the grassland
Calendar
Summary
Surrey is a beautiful County, with over 25% having been designated as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Horses and ponies have an effect on the landscape and it is up to their owners and keepers to ensure that this effect is a positive one!
Horses are often given the reputation of being poor grazers. Their selective grazing habit is that of choosing only the sweeter grasses, and manuring in specific places where they then won’t graze. Regular removal of droppings from paddocks prevents the build up of rank areas of ungrazed pasture and has a significant impact on the numbers of worm larvae that are harmful to horses and ponies.
Watch grassland management advice video(Transcript at bottom of the page)
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Permanent grasslands that have not been 'improved' are in decline across Surrey but are an important landscape feature of the County. Horse and pony owners and keepers can play a role in maintaining any existing unimproved grassland they control, and ensuring that other grassland is not unnecessarily ‘improved’. Such improvement includes activities like drainage and artificial fertiliser and/or lime application. It is not always necessary to carry out either of these operations, and consideration should be given to any existing wildlife and the landscape setting before they are undertaken.
The British Horse Society (BHS) recommends between 0.4 and 0.8ha (1-2 acres) of pasture for each horse during the summer. But of course it is not just land factors that dictate grazing allowances: the different needs of individual equines need to be taken into consideration. Land management influences grass productivity so should also be taken into account.
Overgrazed paddocks not only look awful, but are also bad for the horses and ponies in them. The risk of harmful worms building up is far greater, soil particles are more likely to be ingested with grass, weeds which would otherwise not be eaten are more likely to be browsed upon and health problems such as mud fever become more likely. Perhaps a good general aim on Surrey’s clay soils should be for 1.2 hectare (3 acres) per horse.
In a typical year, grass grows five times faster in May than it does in September, so a well managed paddock of one hectare (2.4 acres) can grow the equivalent of two sacks of a medium energy feed per day. Ref. H & H Feed Forum 4th April 2002.
Traditional management recommends a routine of fertilising, harrowing and rolling paddocks in the spring and autumn. It is probably cheaper, and definitely far better for your land to look after it all year round, not just in the spring and autumn!
Try to avoid any supplementary feeding in the field. Not only does this lead to bare, poached areas where weeds will ingress, but also if the horses and ponies have eaten all the grass, they need moving on! If you must feed concentrates in the field, remember to clear up the buckets and bowls afterwards. They look unnatural in the countryside and can also be a potential hazard to your horse or pony's health. Where salt or mineral licks are being provided, move them around so that no one area becomes overused.
Where possible, a 1-2 meter wide strip of rough grass should be left on the field margins between fencing and hedges to provide a valuable wildlife haven for field and bank voles and overwintering insects.
Weeds such as ragwort are obviously poisonous and must be removed, ideally by hand pulling and burning. Other invasive plants that are considered weeds are those plants which horses and ponies will not eat like docks, thistles and nettles. Regular cutting or mowing of these should stop them spreading but it may be necessary to dig them up to completely kill them. Spot treating with a herbicide such as glyphosate (Roundup) will also kill weeds it comes into contact with, but the pasture cannot then be grazed for a given period. Click on the following links for more information about Ragwort and Poisonous Plants.
Harrowing is carried out to pull all the dead grass, or thatch, up from the base of the healthy grass so that air, water and nutrients can more efficiently get to the soil. This should be carried out in early spring, before strong grass growth gets underway.
Rolling repairs any damage done to the fields by hooves over the winter, pushes stones below the surface and helps put grass roots in contact with nutrients but can cause soil compaction, which may be as damaging as the hooves! It is important not to over-roll.
Keeping the grass height to five centimetres (2-3 inches) during the growing season and 2 centimetres (1 inch) in the winter, will have a huge impact on the ground conditions, especially in winter, protecting the ground from the effect of horses' and ponies' feet.
Before anything is applied to fields, a soil analysis should be taken to establish the soil's nutrient levels and requirements. Soil should be tested to establish the pH, which should be 6.5. If a soil is too acidic, an application of lime will help to restore the correct pH. Three other elements are needed in balanced proportion for optimum grass growth. These are potash, phosphate and nitrogen. If these elements are not in balance, it may be necessary to apply an organic compound fertiliser to the grazing, which must then be rested until the fertiliser has been washed into the soil. Well-rotted manure is a good organic fertiliser!
Selective grazing causes long rank grasses around latrine areas which can have reduced wildlife value.
A typical horse, which weighs about 450 kilograms, produces around 20 kilos of manure per day, or around nine tonnes per year. If the horse is in his field for even half the day, this is four and a half tonnes of manure on his one hectare paddock!
Smaller paddocks can be sub-divided with temporary brown or green electric tape to rest them.
Riding on grassland can damage the sward, so it is preferable to exercise elsewhere if possible.
| Time of year | Action | Reason |
| Late Winter | Soil test to establish pH and other nutrient levels | Optimum soil pH for grass growth is 6.5. Early testing allows for forward planning |
| Early Spring | Harrow pasture Roll pasture Be aware of too much grass | Harrowing pulls up dead ‘thatch’ from grassland Rolling repairs damage from hooves and firms soil to maximise root contact with available nutrients High risk period of laminitis in ponies (and horses) |
| Late Spring/Early Summer | Apply nitrogen, phosphates or potash fertilisers where necessary Keep grass length to 5cm (2-3”) Target invasive weeds such as docks and ragwort | Results of soil test will indicate whether fertilisers are necessary. Application timing is crucial to ensure the conditions are right for nutrient uptake, and to prevent nutrients being washed out of the soil by heavy rainfall Not only is grass more able to make it’s own nutrients if it is kept at this length, but it is also better able to withstand the actions of hooves. Hand-pulling of weeds early in the year is far easier than when they have become established |
| Summer | Continue with mowing to keep grass length to 5cm | This also stops weeds from flowering and/or setting seed |
| Autumn | Continue with mowing Be aware of ‘autumn flush’ of grass growth | Vigorous autumn grass growth is potentially another real risk to equines that suffer from laminitis |
| Winter | Rotate paddocks | Try to minimise serious damage to grassland by moving from paddock to paddock |
| Remember | Pick up droppings as often as possible
Grass will continue to grow whenever the soil temperature is above 6° | This reduces the number of parasites and encourages the horses and ponies to eat from the whole of the field. |
The more land that is available to each horse, the less damage will be done. Try not to overgraze and practise good management.
An individual management plan can be tailored to meet the landowner's specific needs by their local ADAS or FWAG office.
Guidance on grassland management for horse paddocks
http://www.surreycc.gov.uk/?a=200604
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