I’m in northwest Indiana and have a question for those of you who keep their horses off the pasture for the winter. For me, that’s about five months. For your LAST mowing, do you cut the pasture a certain height? We mow with a riding mower and the highest setting we have is 4-1/4" so that’s what we mow all season. Thanks for your time.
I quit mowing after Labor Day, let the grass get long. Horses are out on the pastures during winter, so length lets them nibble on things, keep busy during day hours, barned at night. They come off pastures in spring when mud starts, go into sacrifice areas. I will disc and drag the pastures smooth again, before they are back grazing. Our fields are to keep the horses happy, room to play or run, not decorative. Any hoof marks can be fixed pretty easily in spring.
They are off pastures when grass starts growing to prevent laminitus with the diet change from hay to grass. Takes their bodies some time to regrow grass flora in stomachs in spring, so they are in sacrifice turnout about 5 weeks with timed pasture turnout after mud has gotten solid again. We are mid-Michigan. I usually have mowed pastures 2 to 4 times before they have untimed turnout in spring.
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OP here. Just to clarify - I have one horse and I’m going to board him all winter from Nov 1st thru March 31st. Just wanted to know if someone who does not have horses on their pasture during the winter, what their last mowing height would be. Thanks.
I’m no expert, but I cut my pastures a little shorter than usual the last time I mow in the fall. Too long and the snow and moisture can invite mold and disease, too short will stress the roots. I set my mower to 4" and my pastures have come back really nicely in the spring.
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“They are off pastures when grass starts growing to prevent laminitus with the diet change from hay to grass. Takes their bodies some time to regrow grass flora in stomachs in spring”
I have never found this to be true. With as many as 50+ TBs at times, all shapes sizes, age and gender that live out 24/7 except in nasty weather. If it was written in stone I would have encountered issues over the years given the numbers I worked with. I don’t know any of the huge breeding farms in KY that keep their horses off/restrict their horses from spring pastures.
When I have had retired racehorses shipped to my farm. They get kicked out on pasture not long after getting off the van. To each their own on this.
Like you I leave my paddocks, fields as long as possible going into winter. Cool season grasses stay green by and large and will continue to grow from time to time depending on soil temps, not ambient temps. Warm grasses, like crab grass, etc die and go brown. Horses will still munch on it when there is nothing else.
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