Effective tips for managing winter horse pastures, including drainage solutions, stall run maintenance, and soil protection strategies to support your equine property and the environment.
Peak winter brings rain, snow, and sleet, conditions every horse owner dreads. While working in the cold is difficult, it’s what’s happening beneath the surface that deserves your attention: soil erosion and pasture compaction. These issues can devastate horse pastures, often requiring years of costly restoration to fix. Proactive winter pasture management is critical; by minimizing ice and mud now, you ensure a healthy, productive field for the spring grazing season.
Managing Horse Pastures: Creating a Sacrifice Lot
To ensure quality grazing pastures in the spring, it’s important to minimize wear and tear on wet, icy ground during the nongrowing season. One effective way to help pastures recover is by creating a “sacrifice area” or dry lot. A dry lot is a designated area without pasture grass that still allows horses turnout time. It can be a permanent feature or rotated annually with the goal of restoring the pasture in the spring. The dry lot should be well-drained, easily accessible, and located away from groundwater to avoid contamination.
Fencing off a dry lot helps protect potential spring grasses, as healthy deep roots and a strong soil base are essential for plant growth. Horse traffic on wet ground compacts the soil, reducing water filtration, increasing runoff, and depriving plants of the winter moisture they need. This also damages the topsoil, leading to erosion.
Keeping horses off certain areas during the nongrowing season allows pastures to rest and prepare for spring regrowth. Grazing during this time damages plants down to the crown and tears up their roots, preventing recovery. This can create bare spots, which in turn pave the way for invasive weeds to take over.
By managing pasture use carefully, you can promote healthier growth and maintain the long-term productivity of your grazing areas.
Pasture Seeding and Fertilizer Application
Owners should have prepared their pastures for winter by overseeding and fertilizing. Overseeding helps make pastures more productive in the spring by adding other plant species and reintroducing desirable pasture grasses. While this can be expensive, it is recommended to split seed and fertilizer applications between the fall and spring. When overseeding a pasture, keep horses off the area to allow the seedlings to grow to 6-8 inches before mowing them down to 3-4 inches. Repeat this cycle a few times to stimulate growth and establish strong roots.
Fertilizing also depends on the pasture's health. Before fertilizing, always perform a soil test to determine the best approach for timing and application. Contact your county’s extension office to obtain soil sample kits.
Invest in All-Weather Paddock Footing
When designing your sacrifice area or other high-traffic areas, all-weather footing is an investment worth every penny. Options depend on your budget and can range from crushed stone traffic pads to geotextile fabrics and stabilization grids. Before constructing and installing new footing, always consult with your county's Natural Resources Conservation Services (NRCS) to ensure you have the necessary permits and permissions.
For horse owners on a budget, applying a layer of crushed rock, sand, or hog fuel is one of the least expensive options. Before applying, be sure to scrape away any grass and mud. However, these materials will deteriorate over time, mixing with the soil and turning back into mud.
Geotextile fabric sheets are a permeable material that separates the soil from the footing material. Nonwoven, felt-like fabrics are the best option; if possible, choose heavier-weight fabrics for greater durability. For the surface covering, compacted gravel works well in high-traffic areas, while softer footing is more forgiving for run-out areas.
Stabilization grids are a costlier option, but they are the best investment for long-term management. The grids are placed over a rock drainage base, creating a foundation for the footing layer. This design spreads weight over a wider area, which reduces compaction.
Saving Horse Pastures with Stall Runs
Consider investing in stall runs for times when pastures are too muddy, icy, or need to regrow. These runs also require good drainage and all-weather footing. You may need to install a drainage pipe to direct water elsewhere. Remember to clean stall runs daily to aid drainage and maintain sanitation.
Conclusions
Winter weather is often challenging to work in, especially in pastures. Investing in long-term solutions can benefit both your equine property and the environment. With thoughtful management and planning, horse owners can minimize winter damage and protect the soil.
