Alternative Veterinary Medicine Centre
Holistic Vet - Homeopathic Vet
- Acupuncture Vet - Herbal Vet - Natural Vet
Pasture Management
All pictures are the copyright of Chris Day
See also:
www.naturalfeeding.co.uk
 Chicory
in flower
We believe that a traditional
pasture is like gold dust and that it should not be ploughed. It is a fact that
an old and well-managed pasture has built up a massive store of fertility and
goodness which, if broken up, will contribute great productivity to subsequent
crops for two or three years. However, its unique balance and biodiversity can
never be replaced in our lifetime. The old adage was voiced for good reason:
"To break a pasture makes a man;
to make a pasture breaks a man".
If a pasture requires refreshing, we advocate undersowing with
a variety of different and traditional indigenous grass species and herbage,
without damaging what's already there. The variety of species is important to
allow for the varying needs of the grazing animal, to allow for seasonal
differences, to provide different growth phases so that supply is more even and
to balance nutrition. Furthermore, different rooting patterns can exploit the
deeper soil layers and bring up important trace minerals.
As in so many walks of life, it pays to take a holistic view.
1. HORSES & PONIES (also Donkeys)
Background
 Modern horse pastures suffer two common problems. The first
is that they are often over-grazed by horses, usually without the benefit* of other grazing
herbivore species during the year. The second is that, in the post-war thrust
for home food production, the idea of grassland 'improvement' has been to spread
artificial nitrogen on grassland, to use
herbicides both to discourage ‘weeds’ and to encourage
grass and to plough up and reseed with a narrower band of grass species. The main advisory bodies and colleges have inherited their basic culture
from this government-led self-sufficiency drive for farm land and, now
 that
farming has declined in the UK and horse-keeping has increased, such
organisations are turning to advising on horses, for their income. Sadly, the policy has not
changed, to recognise and to take into account the crucial differences in dietary
needs between simple-stomached herbivores, such as the horse on the one hand and ruminant
herbivores, such as cattle, on the other. The result is that colleges, advisory bodies and
current farming wisdom propose using artificial nitrogen to promote grass
growth. It does promote grass growth very well indeed, but at the expense of
wholesome nutrition in the
case of horses. It can even cause toxic side-effects for horses.
Horses are known to very well on extremely
short and brown pasture, so long as they have a good water supply (see
photograph)
*Other
non-equine species will have different grazing patterns, thus promoting more
varied grassland management. They will also reduce the level of parasite
infection in the grass for both species.
Practical Application
 What actually happens is that the rich diversity of plant
species, once a feature of traditional grassland, is giving way to a very
limited number of species, mostly selected grasses (e.g. ryegrass** - Lolium
spp.). This grass is then
top-dressed with artificial nitrogen,
which displaces the trace mineral cations (e.g. copper, zinc, manganese) from
the clay micelles of the soil (this is a known chemical effect). The very next
rain washes away those minerals (this is a demonstrable consequence of such
management). Furthermore, the soil microflora has been damaged. Yes, the grass
looks green. Yes, the grass is thick and lush. It is, however, nutritionally
nowhere near in the same league as traditional grass, even ignoring the tragic
loss of species diversity and the absence of essential, deep-rooting herbs. The
topsoil has been increasingly impoverished over the years, as a
result of such short-sighted policies. Knowing the importance of minerals to
nutrition and health, we can easily predict what a disaster for the horse this
process is. Another important penalty is that non-structural carbohydrates in
grass are increased and
non-protein nitrogen compounds (both potentially toxic families of compounds) are increased, while
important fibre (structural carbohydrate) is decreased, in response to artificial nitrogen application.
One clear result of all this, apart from the poor
nutrition that ensues, is that ponies (and, to a lesser extent, horses) are much
more prone to laminitis, when grazing such 'improved' grassland.
Furthermore, Potassium levels in rapidly-growing
grass are increased, while Magnesium levels are decreased. This can result in
more excitable, jumpy horses, showing greater anxiety and unpredictable
behaviour. Muscle health will also suffer.
We have heard it argued that 'we have to
fertilise with artificial nitrogen to produce grass'. However, while artificial
fertilising will produce more grass it will produce less nutrition per
acre (per hectare). It looks good (and green) but will support fewer horses.
Herbicides (weed killers) appear to be very dangerous for
horses. We have even had several bad cases of laminitis following application of
a common 'livestock safe' herbicide to nettles. The problem appears to occur
when horses eat the wilting nettles, days after they have been sprayed.
 Apart from the benefits to botanical and
invertebrate biodiversity and
to the dependent ecology in general, a variety of
herbage in the sward is
valuable for grazing horses. Deep-rooting 'weeds' can bring up all-important
minerals from deeper soil layers. Dandelions, for example, are very good at this
and are very palatable. Nettles are a good 'weed' to have around the
edges of the pasture. They act as host to various butterfly species and, when
cut, offer wonderful nutrition, including minerals, to horses, being very
palatable when wilted.
Conserved forage is also subject to similar
problems. Hay, haylage and dried grass will vary in suitability for horses,
depending upon the management during its growing period.
Contrary to current popular belief, horses
will fare better on meagre unfertilised traditional pasture than on lush,
productive 'modern' or 'improved' pasture. Horses are accomplished
fibre-converters and dried-looking pasture in late summer is much more
beneficial to them than its luxuriant, well-fertilised counterpart.
The AVMC
is very willing to advise on grassland management for health and on
nutritionally
compensating the horse for the ill-effects of the above methods, should the client wish.
**Italian Ryegrass (Lolium
multiflorum) is generally recognised as the highest yielding species but
only provides two-year leys. Perennial Ryegrass (Lolium perenne) is a very
common and often dominant species in pasture seed mixes. Neither species is to a
horse's advantage.
2. RUMINANTS
 Although the grass loses nutritive value (vitamins and
minerals), in response to top-dressing with artificial nitrogen, grass bulk
production increases. Ruminants are better able to handle the resultant
non-structural sugars and
non-protein nitrogen compounds than horses, so they become more productive, when
grazing this sort of pasture. They become more prone to hypomagnesaemia (grass
staggers),
however, when the grass responds to fertiliser application.
Modern production animals now require
massive supplementation with trace minerals, to compensate for the lowered
nutritional value of 'improved' grassland, if they are to remain healthy.
Relative deficiencies of manganese, zinc, copper, cobalt, iodine and selenium are common
and widespread problems. The application of
modern chemicals to grassland not only directly depletes the soil of trace minerals and
major minerals but it also narrows the species diversity, especially of
deep-rooting plants, thus exacerbating the problem.
We have seen a cow with rumen atony, which
eventually died, following ingestion of sprayed nettles (despite the chemical
being labelled 'livestock safe').
It is this obsession with producing more
grass for ruminants which has spilled over into the mindset of those who advise
for increasing land usage for equine grazing, to the disadvantage of the horse,
biodiversity and ecology.
Grazing ruminants and horses together (or
successively) on the same land, is of benefit to both species.
3. SHELTER, FENCING, TREES, HEDGES
 Shorn
sheep shelter from the sun on a June morning
A horse (and other species) will benefit from shelter in an open
field, whether from hedges, trees or man-made shelter. Fencing should be
safe and effective. Trees and hedges provide browsing material, quite apart from
their ability to provide shelter and shade from the sun. This widens the horse's choice of forage but
can lead to trouble from poisonous
plants if the grazing is insufficient for the horse's appetite. Specific
trees receive mention in the articles on
beneficial plants and
poisonous plants. It is worth
mentioning, in view of the increase in land being given over to horse and pony
grazing, that we should consider the aesthetic, visual and ecological impact, if possible, of paddocks,
fencing, shelters etc.
4. RAGWORT
 Take especial notice of ragwort (Senecio
spp.), which is particularly poisonous to horses, causing serious liver
damage (scirrhosis/fibrosis). Horses will usually give it a wide berth but, if it is pulled or crushed
and wilted (or even included in hay), it can become attractive to them. It is a
biennial plant, having a low-profile rosette in its first year (see gallery
above) with a tall
aerial inflorescence in the second year (characteristic yellow flowers in
summer - see image to left). Either should be carefully removed, if
seen, and burned. Fortunately, the leaf shape is particularly recognisable (see
image).
Ragwort poisoning may be treatable using
homeopathy, depending how much damage has been
done, how soon a case can be
treated, how much ragwort has been taken and for how long. N.B.: Garden
escapes of ornamental ragwort species are also dangerous.
5.
POACHING
Poaching of grassland and paddocks, by
having horses or other species standing or treading too much in a given area
when the ground is wet, should be avoided where possible. It leads to compaction
of the soil, decrease of grazing value, degradation of grasses and proliferation
of undesirable plants (weeds). The similar things can happen with overgrazing by
a given species of herbivore (e.g. horses). Dock, pineapple weed, knot weed,
thistles, nettles fat hen and other species will begin to dominate such areas.
Compare the photograph to the right with the grassland photographs above, to see
clearly what a lasting effect such damage has. Affected areas may have to be
aerated and re-seeded with a varied friendly grass seed mix.
6. TRACKS
 It
may be annoying to find that paths have been forged into your pasture land by
your grazing animals. It's best to come to terms with this, as it is part of
normal behaviour!
See also:
Poisonous Plants
(& 'unfriendly' plants)
Poisonous Plant Images for Recognition
Beneficial Plants
Artificial Nitrogen
Nutrition
Herbal Medicine
Tissue Salts
Farm Management & Nutrition
Environment & Ecology
Agro-Chemicals
Intensive Farming
Organic Farming
In summary, we believe that it is important
for our horses' health to seek an alternative to the modern intensive approach
to pasture management.
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Mr Day has given lectures to wildlife
and conservation groups and to horse interest groups about the health and ecology aspects of horse
pasture management and its impact on both the environment and the health of
the horse. If you
are interested in holding such a lecture session, please contact:
Alternative Veterinary Medicine Centre, Chinham House, Stanford in the
Vale, Oxon SN7 8NQ [UK] - 01367 710324 [Fax: 01367 718243]
Contact details. |
FAQ Pasture Management
Alternative Veterinary Medicine Centre
Holistic Vet - Homeopathic Vet
- Acupuncture Vet - Herbal Vet - Natural Vet
Copyright ©
AVMC - March
2007
Page refers to: pasture management - horse
pasture management - equine pasture management - ecology -
health - horse pasture - horse grazing - forage - health and ecology - lecture -
environment - grazing - grass - grassland - grassland management - health
aspects - grazing management - horse grazing - equine grazing - bio-diversity -
biodiversity
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