Safely Fertilize and Seed Your Pasture While Horses Graze

It's April and as the trees turn green pastures are coming alive once again. This means to horse owners fertilizing and seeding pastures is a must. Due to the droughts over the years hay prices our at an all time high so if you can succeed at a well seeded pasture you will save a great deal of money.

Most are at the mercy of Mother Nature for rain to irrigate which takes some planning watching weather forecasts. Then to either not have rain or have such a heavy downfall it washes it into the neighbors pasture. Sometimes the only way to get it done is take your chances.

The safest way is to section off grazing areas even if you only have a few acres. If possible take soil samples to get an idea of what your will work best for your acreage. But the average horse owner who has one or two is not going to take soil samples.

For these people 200 lbs of a 15-5-10 fertilizer covered lightly per acre combined with a common Bermuda grass seed at 10 lbs per acre. This type of fertilizer runs for about $15.00 per 50 lb. bag and most common Bermuda grass seeds runs about $5.00 lb. Once the fertilizer is soaked or irrigated into the ground you can open the sectioned off area. It is important you are aware of your horses eating habits. Horses known for eating dirt are the most susceptible for possibly ingesting the fertilizer which can cause Colic.

"In Fall over seeding with an Annual Rye grass can help continue grazing through winter, says Carl Cathey, Manger of Russell Feed and Supply in Haltom City, Texas, the Annual Rye is a safe grass but the not the Fescue. Fescue is susceptible to the endophyte fungus. This fungus can cause pregnant mares to retain the placenta at birth which can be fatal". It has also been known for causing mares to lose the foal in the last trimester.

Of course planting coastal hay would be the best bet but it is far more expensive and a major project. Coastal Sprigs are sold by the bale between $10.00 to $30.00 each. Processing and preparing your pasture for Sprigging can average $70.00 to $100.00 per acre with a minimum acre requirement depending on whom who hire.

In this economy the recreation horse owner is finding owning these wonderful animals almost impossible. Keeping horses pastured seem to be the best way to go and having one well covered will save a great deal of money. If you are planning to cover your pasture on your own be sure to talk with the local feed stores. They are a wealth of information and are livestock owners as well.