I am wanting to get my pasture tested? Any website suggestions? Any tips on the how to’s? Is there a certain time/season that would be better to test!!!???
TIA
When I my pastures tested, I had the soil tested. I used my local Co-Op. Their instructions were to gather severL samples from all areas of the 25 acres the horses grazed most frequently. I was further instructed to mix all those samples into one container, bring that container to them (Co-Op) and they sent it out for testing.
Test the soil if you’re looking to improve the forage. Any Ag Extension Agency should be able to do that.
Test the forage if you’re looking to better balance the horses’ diet. www.equi-analytical.com is a great place. Some AEAs do that, many don’t.
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Hi JB, I just recently moved my horses onto 3 acres behind our new house that we just bought so I am looking for both actually to improve the forage and to see if I can possible better balance my horses diets.
We do have I think an OSU Ag Extension right here in Dewey, I will stop by there tomorrow to see if they can help me out! Thank you!
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Definitely stop in to see your local Extension agent, if you haven’t already. They’ll probably recommend soil testing now and forage testing in the spring, since most forages are dormant this time of year.
I noticed, though, that you only have three acres. How many horses do you have on the property? You’re probably looking at more of a sacrifice/dry lot management situation, unless you’re willing to aggressively manage a rotational grazing system, or only have one horse (or two, if one is a small pony, maybe).
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I only have 2 horses.
And i have thought about fencing off half of it and doing a rotational grazing system…
Does anyone know if there is usually a charge for soil testing through local co-ops?
Yes they charge for soil testing. Usually about $20 locally. I was told to dig my samples with a spade to get deep dirt, not just topsoil. Plant roots go down 8-10 inches deep, some even deeper, so that is where you need to check for needed soil minerals. Mix the many samples, let dry, then put about 2 cups worth in the bag for testing.
I think my co-op charges $10? But word to the wise, sometimes it is cash only (for those of you carrying plastic, cough* me :rolleyes:).
Also, as someone who used to have 2 horses on roughly 3 acres. Good luck. I was very strict with my rotations and had a small dry lot. Nearly impossible for me long term. I had to feed hay all year round.
I moved farms and have (had) 3 and a mini donkey on a ~5 acre pasture and that is barely enough. Luckily I have 20 more acres to open to pasture plus a ~1/2 acre dry lot.
Yeah, not sure how pasture in general is in your area of OK, but 2 horses and 3 acres is not likely sustainable full time. Even a half acre dry lot, and 2 pasture areas rotated, is still part time if you want to keep grass. You might get closer to full time when the grass is growing like crazy, but that won’t be for long.
The general rule is 2 acres per horse of decently lush grass for full time grazing. You will want a dry lot area to keep them in full time when the ground is too wet, and as their go-to when they are not on the pasture (which can’t be full time).
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The people that owned this place before had 4 horses on these 3 acres, but I do have to say that each time we did come to do inspections, inspect the pasture etc… we did see only 2 horses at a time out on grass. We did not see this 3 acres in the spring or summer so I don’t know how its going to look like in Spring/Summer.
There is a place for the horses to stay in when its wet/muddy and I do keep them inside. I am just not sure how to preserve the pasture. I do want a nice pasture for them to graze on during the spring and summer.
Food for thought - if you have easy keepers (for some reason I recollect you do?) the more you improve your pasture the more time they will spend in muzzles. I did not pull muzzles until Thanksgiving this year. I test every couple years, but highly prefer to have native grasses grow and only ever seeded once in the 15 years I’ve been here. I do spray for buttercups and also for stilt grass, and lime. It does look wonderful for your horses to be eyeballs deep in nice pasture, but you’ll have to have them in muzzles if are easy keepers.
Keep in mind that properly fertilized and limed soil makes for healthier grass, healthier grass is less stressed, and less stressed grass is lower in sugars. All else equal, of course.
Native grasses aren’t always lowest sugar, but for sure the modern fescues aren’t terribly low either - they were developed mainly for cattle for good meat and milk, and cattle can and do founder as a result 
I used Equi-Analytica to analyze my pasture, and sent soil samples to my local ag extension (they didn’t charge in the “off-season”). I took a good 20 samples of the pasture (20 areas), cut at “horse grazing” length. I also froze the samples at -80 degrees F and sent them on dry ice (I have access to this). It was beyond their recommendations but I wanted to be sure the samples arrived frozen. I’d definitely freeze and ship on ice overnight if you can. For the soil, we took two “area” samples per pasture, and submitted multiple samples. Like I said, this was free for us.
P.S. our local ag extensions made recommendations for our pastures based on the use (horse grazing). Very helpful!
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You limit access to it. My 3 horses have about 3 acres of grazing. They have overnight turnout from June-October or so; only allowed on it after it’s been mowed at least once or twice in the season. By October it’s pretty much gone and I often have to throw hay out there. Then I take them off completely for the winter (or at least until there is snow) because they will graze it down to bare dirt and eat the roots if left on it.
It would be better with only 2 horses on 3 acres, and still only max 12 hours/day.
I have a sacrifice pasture of about an acre, plus some other dry lot areas. That really doesn’t grow grass because they are on it through the mud season and it gets completely wrecked.
