The Ultimate Guide to Choosing, Growing, and Caring for Grass in Horse Paddocks

Introduction: The Importance of Proper Grass for Equine Paddocks

Knowing what type of grass to cover your horse paddocks in can be challenging. There are an ever-increasing range of grass varieties to choose from, but it is often difficult to understand what is best suited to your land and your horse.

Key questions include: which grass seeds are safe for my horses? What grass variety will provide the nutrients my horse needs? How do I best seed, grow and maintain a horse paddock? And, what is the best grass for standing up to heavy grazing and hoof traffic?

All of these questions and more need to be considered when growing and maintaining a quality horse paddock. In this blog, we aim to provide a useful guide to what you need to know – exploring everything from the best types of grass through to growing, repairing and caring for your grazing land – and how you can maintain a healthy environment for your horses.

Best Types of Grass for Horse Paddocks

Most quality seed mixes for equine paddocks will contain a mixture of grass varieties, and even some herbs, to deliver the greatest benefit to horses but it is worth considering which grasses are the best and also understanding any potential downsides.

1.     Ryegrass for horses

Ryegrass is the popular choice for most horse owners as it offers a wealth of benefits which include good nutritional value, durability and it can thrive in most climates and environments.

Not only is ryegrass highly palatable and digestable for horses, but it is also rich in essential nutrients, providing a balanced diet of carbohydrates, proteins, vitamins, and minerals, which support energy levels, muscle development, and overall condition.

Plus, it grows and regenerates quickly, it thrives in most climates and it’s dense growth and extensive roots also help to suppress weeds and improve soil health and structure.

While it is a great all-rounder, Ryegrass is generally best avoided for good-doers and laminitics due to its high sugar and starch content. A dedicated low nutrient mix for these horses is as it allows horses and ponies to be kept at pasture for longer with a reduced risk of laminitis.

2.     Fescue for horses

Fescue comes in a range of varieties but is another popular choice for equine pastures as it is exceptionally hardy and can withstand heavy foot traffic and grazing.

It’s hardiness also ensures it can withstand drought and extreme cold, meaning you have a reliable source of forage all year round.

Again, it offers good nutritional value and is highly adaptable, growing in most soil types and climates. Fescue is also renowned for its resistance to pasture pests and diseases, which means you need fewer chemical treatments on the pasture, creating healthier grazing environments.

One key consideration is the risk of internal fungus that can be associated with endophyte infected fescue (or fescue toxicosis) and this is a particular risk to brood mares. As such, it is worth using seed mixes with no fescue if you are grazing brood mares or using endophyte-free or novel endophyte fescue varieties.

3.     Timothy grass for horses

Timothy grass is a high fibre forage option that is suitable for horses of all ages and is often used as a source of hay.

It’s soft texture and pleasant taste, while still delivering good nutritional value, encourages consistent grazing and hay consumption among horses and the high fibre content also helps to maintain a healthy gut.

The chewy, fibrous nature of the grass also helps to maintain dental health and, because it has low levels of non-structural carbohydrates, is also suitable for horses that are prone to metabolic disorders such as laminitis and insulin resistance.

4.     Common Bent grass for horses

Common Bent grass has a fine texture but is still a strong and resilient choice for pastures and requires little maintenance.

It will remain healthy and productive through regular grazing and foot traffic and will thrive and grow in most environments.

One of the key strengths of Common Bent is that it will continue to grow and produce during the cooler months, ensuring you have a reliable source of year-round forage, with it remaining green and fresh throughout winter.

5.     Meadowgrass for horses

Meadowgrass can encompass a range of species, including bluegrass, but is known for its durability and high nutritional content.

This is another cool-season grass type of grass that will thrive in during the colder months while still withstanding heavy grazing.

It has dense growth which helps to prevent soil erosion and also suppresses unwanted weeds.

The good news is that rural supplies provides a range of mixes to exactly match your needs. Featuring a range of the above grasses, and some with herbs, you can instantly source the mix you need to ensure your horses and paddocks are happy and healthy.

How to Grow Grass in Equine Paddocks

Now you’ve chosen the appropriate mix of grass seeds for your paddock, the next challenge is growing and maintaining it to ensure your horses can enjoy it for years to come.

Here we explore everything you need to know about seeding, growing, maintaining and grazing your paddocks.

Preparing the Soil

The key to seeding and growing a new horse paddock is preparation. Make sure the soil is well prepared, any debris and weeds are removed and that the ground is reasonably level to avoid any puddles forming.

It’s also important to consider the pH and nutrient levels of the soil so consider doing a soil test before sowing. You need to be aiming for a pH of between 6.0 and 7.0 for most grass species and it should have decent nutrient levels to give the grass the best chance of establishing. Make sure to amend the soil with lime and fertilisers prior to sowing seeds if necessary.

Sowing grass seed on horse paddocks

The reality is that you can sow grass seed pretty much any time of the year in the UK but, for the best results, you should choose an appropriate time of year for the grass type. The sowing season runs from Spring to Autumn but for cool-season grasses aim to sow early spring or late summer. For warm-season grasses, it is best to sow them in late spring to early summer.

Ideally you want to aim for an even distribution of seeds across the pasture and should follow the guidelines for the amount of seed per square metre. If you can, use some sort of broadcast seeder to get that even distribution but you can sow by hand if necessary.

Finally, once the seeds have been sown, make sure you have good contact between the soil and the seeds by by lightly raking over the soil or by rolling it.

Watering and fertilising horse paddocks

After sowing, newly seeded paddocks will need constant moisture to effectively germinate and establish. You will need to water lightly but frequently to keep the soil moist but make sure not to overdo it as areas of standing water could wash the seeds away or cause them to rot.

Once the seeds are established, you can start to reduce watering frequency, but it is worth maintaining a good input of water and keeping the soil moist to encourage deep root growth at the start. This will help to ultimately make the grass more resilient and quicker to recover after grazing as well as helping to fight off any weed growth.

With fertilisers, make sure you fertilise according to the recommendations from your soil test results but also consider topping up with an appropriate NPK (nitrogen, phosphate and potassium) fertiliser to maintain grass health. The recommended application rate for NPK is 40-80kg per acre.

Repairing Damaged Paddocks

Inevitably, your paddock will become damaged through overgrazing, high hoof traffic or just overly exuberant horses. With a few simple tips though, you can quickly repair or restore grass areas that are suffering.

Overseeding bare Spots in a horse paddock

If an area of the paddock has become bare or the grass has become thin, overseeding is a quick and simple solution for restoring the grass. You can get specific grass renovator mixes, but you can also use your existing mixes to repair your grass.

To effectively overseed a bare or thin area, prepare the soil by loosening it with a rake and, ideally, then apply a light layer of compost to help the seeds quickly establish. Its then as simple as sowing the seeds at the appropriate rate over the area and making sure it is watered regularly.

If possible, protect the area from horses until the grass is established.

Aeration of the soil in horse paddocks

Compacted soil can be a key issue in horse paddocks and can negatively impact the growth of your grass. This is particularly true in high hoof traffic areas.

By aerating the soil, you can alleviate any compaction and this will help to improve water and nutrient uptake in the root zone of the grass.

To aerate the soil you can simply poke holes in the ground with a solid tine or fork, or you can use a core aerator to remove plugs of grass and soil. For whole paddocks, as they are large areas, it is worth exploring using an aerating tool or machine for the best results.

Rotating Grazing Areas

Another key element of paddock care and preventing damage is to avoid overgrazing by rotating horses between different paddocks.

This gives the grass time to recover and reduces the stress on one area. If you only have one paddock, consider fencing off sections and still adopt a rotational grazing policy to maintain a healthy and productive pasture.

Caring for Equine Paddocks

You’ve sown the seeds, repaired damaged areas, are carefully managing grazing and now have a healthy, well-established paddock. But, what do you need to do to care and maintain the pasture?

Regular Mowing

Even with grazing horses, you should regularly mow paddocks to keep grass at an optimal height. By keeping the grass cut, this promotes healthy growth and also prevents weeds from taking over and dominating the valuable grass.

You should aim to keep cool-season grasses around 3-4 inches tall and warm-season grasses around 2-3 inches.

Weed Control

Weed control is critical as weeds compete with your grass for the same nutrients and will ultimately diminish the quality of your paddock which can impact horse health.

Regularly inspect paddocks for weeds and remove them manually or with appropriate herbicides if necessary.

Soil Testing and Amendments

Unsurprisingly, the condition of the soil is critical to the health and performance of your grass. It is worth testing the soil every 2-3 years to monitor pH and nutrient levels and to understand if it is lacking in anything.

As we’ve said a regular fertilisation schedule is worthwhile but, if your soil test shows anything concerning, you should adjust fertilisation and lime applications to maintain optimal soil conditions for grass growth.

Conclusion: Maintaining Healthy Equine Paddocks

The British climate can be challenging but it is possible to maintain a lush and resilient horse paddock year-round.

With the proper grass mix selection, care, maintenance and repair regime you can create a nutritious, productive and resilient grazing environment for your horses.

Care is the key word. From choosing the right grass varieties for your land and horses, through to fertiliser applications, mowing, rotational grazing and controlling weed growth, careful management of your pastures will reap the greatest rewards.

Good paddock management brings a wealth of benefits to your horses and helps to ensure they are getting a balanced diet full of the carbohydrates, proteins, vitamins, and minerals they need to be healthy and happy.

Rural Supplies offers a wide range of specialist grass seed mixes to suit the needs of all horses and also provides herb mixtures, renovator solutions and paddock fertiliser to help you make the most of your pastures.

If you want to learn more, visit the Paddock Seed and Fertiliser section of the website.