Winter Pasture Management

Winter can be a difficult time for pasture management. Horse pastures often are abused by the stress of winter, especially following a drought like the one Central Kentucky and surrounding states experienced this fall. However, there are a few simple steps horse owners can follow to minimize winter damage to pastures and encourage better plant growth for grazing next spring.

Encourage Spring Recovery by Resting Pastures

Many farms in Kentucky have suffered from drought conditions and overgrazing this fall. Therefore, it is important that pastures be given a rest. Grazing stressed pastures all winter severely hinders the ability of plants to rejuvenate in the spring and could result in plants dying out. The trampling that results from feeding hay in paddocks also makes it difficult for grasses to come back in the spring. Therefore, resting paddocks and establishing a sacrifice area for turnout and hay feeding is a key to managing horse pastures through the winter.

Nitrogen Application to Boost Pasture Recovery

Fall is the best time to apply nitrogen (to improve forage density) to a horse pasture. Late fall applications in November through mid-December should be limited to about 30 pounds of actual nitrogen per acre (or 100 pounds per acre of ammonium nitrate). This might result in a slight increase in grass production this fall, depending on rainfall, but most importantly, pasture grasses will use this nitrogen for early winter root growth and new below-ground shoot development, both of which stimulate quicker recovery in spring.