Winter Cover Crops

[Charloux]

Hi there,
Does anyone have any knowledge or experience with winter cover crops that are not toxic to horses?

I live on Vancouver Island, BC, and winters here are typically wet and 6-10 deg C (sometimes below freezing). The field I would like to cover crop was recently (~5 years ago) a conifer forest (so fairly acidic soil), has a fair bit of clay, is sloping, and is pretty wet in winter. There are a lot of nasty weeds that we need to outcompete - buttercup, Canada thistle, (some) ragwort, stinging nettle, trailing blackberry, (some) black nightshade… it needs some TLC.

I have added some lime to raise the pH, but would also like to seed cover crops to outcompete the weeds, build soil structure, and regenerate the land. Also, it would be a plus if the horses could eat it. I was thinking clover and annual rye… any other thoughts?

Thanks!

[Bluey]

Here some use oats for cover crop with horses.
Oats have a better protein profile for horses than the others.

Wheat, rye, triticale, a hybrid of wheat and rye are ok for cattle.

Here is a chart from some studies on grain, not grazed grains, that show some of the differences in protein between first, oats, second wheat.
People here that graze horses on wheat say their hooves quality deteriorate over time.
After some weeks some have dry, shelly hooves.
Our vet used to tell us, because of the protein amino acid balance not being as good for horses in other than in oats.
Sorry top of chart didn’t copy:
[TABLE]
[TR]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD=“colspan: 4”]Essential[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Histidine[/TD]
[TD]2.2[/TD]
[TD]1.2[/TD]
[TD]1.5[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Isoleucine[/TD]
[TD]3.9[/TD]
[TD]4.2[/TD]
[TD]3.0[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Leucine[/TD]
[TD]7.4[/TD]
[TD]7.6[/TD]
[TD]5.9[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Lysine[/TD]
[TD]4.2[/TD]
[TD]2.9[/TD]
[TD]4.5[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Methionine[/TD]
[TD]2.5[/TD]
[TD]1.9[/TD]
[TD]1.6[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Cysteine[/TD]
[TD]1.6[/TD]
[TD]2.3[/TD]
[TD]0.6[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Phenylalanine[/TD]
[TD]5.3[/TD]
[TD]5.3[/TD]
[TD]1.9[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Tyrosine[/TD]
[TD]3.1[/TD]
[TD]3.3[/TD]
[TD]–[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Threonine[/TD]
[TD]3.3[/TD]
[TD]2.7[/TD]
[TD]2.3[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Tryptophan[/TD]
[TD]–[/TD]
[TD]1.1[/TD]
[TD]0.6[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Valine[/TD]
[TD]5.3[/TD]
[TD]4.5[/TD]
[TD]3.9[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD=“colspan: 4”]Non-essential[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Alanine[/TD]
[TD]5.0[/TD]
[TD]3.8[/TD]
[TD]–[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Arginine[/TD]
[TD]6.9[/TD]
[TD]4.8[/TD]
[TD]–[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Aspartic acid[/TD]
[TD]8.9[/TD]
[TD]5.4[/TD]
[TD]–[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Glutamic acid[/TD]
[TD]23.9[/TD]
[TD]32.5[/TD]
[TD]–[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Glycine[/TD]
[TD]4.9[/TD]
[TD]4.4[/TD]
[TD]–[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Proline[/TD]
[TD]4.7[/TD]
[TD]10.8[/TD]
[TD]–[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Serine[/TD]
[TD]4.2[/TD]
[TD]3.5[/TD]
[TD]–[/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]

[Robin]

We have a similar soil type to yours although a much colder climate. I’d tell you to talk to your county extension but you are in Canada and I don’t know if you have a similar option. One
possible thing to consider would be birdsfoot trefoil, a legume similar to alfalfa but can be
grazed. It is not easy to establish and here is often planted with oats as a companion crop.
The oats will grow quickly and protect the soil until the more densely rooted trefoil gets going.
Once established the trefoil will hold the land very well.

[Charloux]

So oats sound like a good choice… I hadn’t heard of trefoil before. I will look into that one!
Thanks for the responses

[jawa]

Will you be grazing your horses on this? If yes, you may want to check on the sugars if you have horses that might have IR or metabolic issues.

[demidq]

Around here, buckwheat is often used as a winter covercrop. It is an annual legume so winter killed, but if seeded densely does a great job of smothering weeds. It acts like a “green manure” as well as stabilising the soil and suppressing weeds. I presume you are going to till first? Till, sow buckwheat thickly, till that in come spring before it flowers and then plant an appropriate pasture mix. I would not turn the horses out for the season while you are trying to establish a pasture.
You will have problems killing that bunch of noxious weeds, tho- they are really persistent and will need bushhogging regularly to allow grass to establish!

[mht]

@Charloux

So oats sound like a good choice… I hadn’t heard of trefoil before. I will look into that one!
Thanks for the responses

I do not recommend trefoil. Really takes over, and my horses do not like to graze it. They will, however, eat it when the pastures have been cut, and it dries a bit. And they have no problem with it in their hay. Go figure.

[Charloux]

This is the mix I went with - Horse and Sheep Pasture Mix:

• 25% TS Brand Tall Fescue
• 20% Profile Orchardgrass
• 15% Creeping Red Fescue
• 15% Climax Timothy
• 8% Westerwold Annual Ryegrass
• 7% Meadow Fescue
• 7% Kentucky Bluegrass
• 2% Single Cut Red Clover
• 1% White clover