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On many farms, cover crops are planted in the late summer or early fall to provide protective ground cover during the winter. The crops are then grazed, harvested, or tilled into the soil in the spring. In addition to erosion control and protection of water quality, cover crops have favorable effects on soil structure, weed suppression, and biodiversity. The use of cover crops on horse operations has not been studied until recently when researchers in the Midwestern United States evaluated several cover crop forages in pastures specifically intended for horses.*

Depending on the plant species, cover crops offer various, and oftentimes specific, benefits. Annual ryegrass and winter rye are used because of their high germination rates, ease of establishment, and efficiency in covering barren soil, all of which foster weed suppression and forage output. The nitrogen fixation properties of legumes, like berseem clover, boost soil fertility. Taproot species, such as purple top turnip and daikon radish, can loosen shallow layers of compacted soil and scavenge residual nitrogen that otherwise might have been lost to leaching. The channels created by the growing taproot, a process called “biodrilling,” allow other pasture plants to more easily access soil nutrients and moisture.

In addition to soil and environmental advantages, cover crops offer a particular perk to horse owners: they can prolong the grazing season and reduce the reliance on preserved forages, particularly hay, in the late fall. In years when hay is expensive or in short supply, this may prove advantageous.

The objectives of this study were to evaluate forage mass, forage nutrient composition, and preference of annual ryegrass, winter rye, berseem clover, purple top turnip, and daikon radish by horses. Forage mass is the total dry weight of forage per unit of land.

Seeded either singularly or as mixtures, cover crops were grazed by four mature mares for two consecutive fall seasons. Prior to grazing, forages were sampled to determine forage mass, root mass, and nutrient composition. To estimate preference after grazing, forages were visually assessed by researchers for the percentage of removal on a scale of 0 (no grazing activity) to 100% (all available forage grazed).

With regard to forage mass, berseem clover was the lowest producing forage, and minimal differences were observed among the other cover crops. Horses preferred the berseem clover, while turnip and radish were least favored. Winter rye and annual ryegrass in monoculture and when seeded with berseem clover were moderately preferred (20%–68% removal). These species also met the digestible energy and crude protein needs of sedentary mature horses, although the calcium-to-phosphorus ratio tended to be inverted.

According to the researchers, “placing a priority on preference, berseem clover, annual ryegrass, and winter rye appear to be suitable cover crops to extend the grazing season in horse pastures.”

“While grazing pastures may seem the most natural of feeding systems for horses, health concerns can make grazing specific plants dangerous for certain horses,” noted Catherine Whitehouse, M.S., a nutritionist for Kentucky Equine Research. “When planning any upgrade to a grazing area, consider the horses that will eventually graze it. For horses predisposed to laminitis or other metabolic challenges, be sure the forages selected match their needs and long-term well-being.” If pasture renovation is not feasible, limiting grazing to certain times of the day can be useful in the management of metabolically compromised horses, Whitehouse said.

*Prigge, J.L., C.C. Sheaffer, J.M. Jungers, A.L. Jaqueth, H.L. Lochner, and K.L. Martinson. 2021. Forage characteristics and grazing preference of cover crops in equine pasture systems. Journal of Equine Veterinary Science 103:103663.

 

 

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