Ranking high on the priority list of most farm owners is having pastures in prime condition. Well-maintained pastures provide horses with valuable nutrition throughout the growing season and can noticeably reduce hay expenses. Keeping fields in top shape goes a long way toward keeping your horses healthy. Not to mention the fact that a lush, green pasture dotted with grazing horses is probably one of the most pleasing sights to be found in horse country.

Maintaining pastures after they are established is one thing, but what steps should you take if the pastures you have now are either barren or have been seriously neglected? Farm owners can run into both scenarios when purchasing a farm or improving an existing operation. In some cases, it is in your best interest to completely plow the field under and plant the desired grass. In other situations, you can successfully restore a neglected pasture without starting from scratch, so to speak.

Start over or improve?

If pastures contain less than an 80% stand of grass, are noticeably rough and uneven, or contain unsuitable grasses, the most effective method for the long haul is to plow the field under and plant the desired grass crop. If the pasture has simply been overgrazed or not properly fertilized, attentive maintenance may be all that is needed.

"In most cases, there is grass in the field that will respond to some R and R," said Jimmy Henning, Ph.D., extension forage specialist with the University of Kentucky. "Ask yourself if you can rest the pasture. Most horse pastures will respond greatly to some rest and fertilization. For grasses, the best pick-me-up is to apply fertilizer and nitrogen." Henning added that in these cases it is extremely important to do a soil test first to know what the pasture is lacking.

Say you have broodmares, but all of your pastures contain endophyte-infected tall fescue, which can cause prolonged gestation, difficulty in foaling, and thickened placenta if consumed during the last 60 days of gestation. In this case, you are better off plowing under the existing stand of fescue and starting over. The same advice would apply to pastures that may contain desirable grass but are rough and uneven. It is impossible to smooth out a pasture that contains ruts and holes without starting from the beginning, and that means plowing and disking.

Start with soil test

Henning explained that, whether you are renovating an existing pasture or starting from scratch, many of the principles are the same. "The challenge is getting the land ready," he said. "You have to decide what your goal is and know what type of pasture crop [one type of grass, a combination of grasses, or a grass/legume mix] you want to grow. Then, soil testing is the first step with either method."

It is necessary to know up front what you intend to plant, or what grass is growing in an existing pasture, because this information must be noted on the soil test. For example, if you wanted to have an orchard grass pasture, after the soil test is taken you would apply nutrients as per the test results for establishing and maintaining this type of pasture.

"Don't compromise the process from the beginning by skipping the soil test step," cautioned Henning. "There are cases where [a pasture] is so low in some nutrients or has very acidic soil, and this can make the fertilizer issue crucial. There are enough things in the process you can't change, so you certainly want to work with those things you can change."

Once you have the results of the soil test, fertilize accordingly, then prepare the land to receive the seed. Henning noted that for cool-season grasses such as Kentucky bluegrass, orchard grass, and tall fescue, late summer or early fall is the best time to change what is growing or to start a pasture from scratch. Some farm owners may opt for a spring planting but, in that case, the grass stand will not be able to tolerate grazing and hoof traffic until mid- or late summer at the earliest.

Plowing totally mixes the soil and in general is better for weed control than simply disking the field, which stirs up and softens the soil but does not necessarily disturb what is growing on top, Henning pointed out. "If there is a severe weed problem, do your seed a favor before you start, and use an herbicide before plowing," he said. "If you have troublesome weeds like Johnson grass, you may want to spray with a translocated herbicide [such as Roundup] two to four weeks before you plow."

Plant it right

Grass seed should always be planted shallow. For cool-season grasses, a planting depth of about one-quarter inch is recommended. "Ideally, you would plant using a brillion seeder, which drops the seed uniformly, then rolls over it with a corrugated roller," said Henning. "You can also use a drill or conventional planting equipment, but you don't want to plant it deep. It's easy to plant too deep and this is hard on forage seeds because they are so small; by the time they get to the top of the ground, they're pretty whipped."

One important aspect of establishing a healthy pasture is to keep horses off the new stand of grass as long as possible. "Try not to excessively graze it during the first year," Henning advised. "You want the grass to get as strong as it can before you graze it. [After planting], your next fertilization application would likely be an application of nitrogen in the fall or early winter. This really helps the cool-season grasses 'tiller out,' or spread."

Once the pasture is established, taking a soil test every two or three years will reveal any glaring problems relating to soil fertility. Henning noted that, in general, pasture requirements do not change greatly or quickly, unlike crop fields where the crop is pulling high amounts of nutrients out of the soil every year.

Seedbed critical

If the entire pasture requires reseeding, getting the seedbed right is crucial. Sam Albritton, manager at Southern States Cooperative just north of Ocala, suggested bottom plowing when possible because this method turns under all the weeds. Follow the plowing with disking to make the ground uniformly level.

"Once you plant seeds, you can't do anything to change the surface," Albritton said. "If you leave it rough, it's going to stay that way. It might cost you $10 or $12 more an acre to get it right, but it's worth it to get it right the first time."

Bahia grass can be broadcast with or without fertilizer, but drilling is recommended because the drill can be set at the right height. "You don't want to cover bahia grass seed any more than one-half inch," Albritton said. After planting, drag or roll the surface to provide cover for the seed. "Rolling is better because this will seal the surface of the ground and pack the soil around the seed to keep the moisture there," he added. "If the soil is loose, the seedlings can start to germinate and then dry out."

If your pastures contain at least an 80% stand of desired grass, reseeding the entire field is not usually necessary. For neglected pastures of Pensacola or Argentine bahia grass, Albritton advised, "Put down a ton of dolomite if this hasn't been done for several years and fertilize heavily. You don't need to overseed a stand of bahia that still has 80% there. Just put out seed in the bare spots and drag them. If you fertilize heavily and we get adequate rain, it will grow in."

Since a minimum of 45 days is needed for bahia grass seed to germinate under optimum conditions, Albritton recommends letting the pasture rest at least three months after seeding to fill in bare spots. But, he warns that even if you reseed, do not expect grass to hold up in loafing areas, such as those around water sources, feed troughs, and gates.

Which to plant?

Your local horse extension specialist can advise you on the best grass to plant for your area. For example, farm owne