![]() The size of each paddock depends on how many horses are in the group and how frequently the manager wants to rotate.Īn ideal rotational grazing system has several grazing paddocks attached to a sacrifice lot. The sacrifice lot contains a shelter and feeder/water source so that each paddock doesn't need to have its own horses have access to the sacrifice lot at all times no matter which paddock they are grazing. The ideal system has a minimum of four paddocks connected by gates to one sacrifice lot (AKA dry lot, stress lot, animal concentration area, etc). This means that paddocks must be left empty for a few weeks at a time.Įvery farm manager will figure out the right schedule for their rotation, but in general, horses should be in a paddock for no longer than 7 days, because that is how long it takes for forage regrowth to begin after grazing. The absolute most important part of this system is the grass's recovery period while horses are on other paddocks. The forage is grazed once and then rested to regrow. In a nutshell, rotational grazing involves moving a group of horses between several paddocks on a regular basis. Rotational Grazingįarm managers can avoid overgrazing pastures by managing their horses' grazing using a rotational system. You can overseed again and again, but the grazing management won't allow desired forages to survive except in ungrazed "roughs". As they die, the bare ground left behind allows opportunistic weeds to germinate and take over. Horses overgraze these palatable forages until the plants die, leaving less preferred species. This is how pastures lose desirable forage species like orchardgrass, smooth brome, and timothy. The plant must then use stored energy to regrow, and with repeated close grazing, the energy stores run out and the plant dies. ![]() First, it removes so much of the leaf area that the plant can't capture sunlight to make energy for regrowth. This is called overgrazing, and it is very damaging to grass plants. Horses have a tendency to graze their favorite grass species close to the ground, then return to graze the regrowth as soon as it appears. While this is usually the easiest way to manage turnout, it can be very hard on the forage plants and often results in overgrazed pastures on farms with less than 2 to 4 acres per horse. The important factor is that the pastures are not "rested," or left empty, for more than a portion of the day or night. It might be one group of horses outside all day, or it could be that multiple groups of horses go out in shifts. Most horse farms practice continuous grazing, in which pastures are occupied by horses daily. Of course, there is a limit to the number of horses the land can sustain, even using rotational grazing. Most farm owners don't have this much space, but with more intensive grazing management, you can maintain horses on fewer acres and still have great pastures. In general, you need 2 to 4 acres per horse if you want them to be out all the time and not overgraze a pasture. It is also a good way to manage moderately stocked farms for maximum productivity. Rotational grazing requires a bit more oversight than continuous grazing, but the payoff is increased feed value for horses and productive pastures that need less frequent renovation. High-quality pasture can meet or exceed the protein and energy requirements of horses with low calorie needs. When used correctly, rotational grazing is a management practice that results in healthy, thick stands of forage to provide horses with a significant source of nutrition. Most farm managers have heard the term 'rotational grazing' and have a vague idea of what it means.
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