The top tips for successfully restoring your horse pasture

If you want horse pasture with a dense and firm turf, you cannot do without annual maintenance. Overseeding prevents unwanted poor types of grasses or weeds from filling up the bald spots. Poor grasses have short roots, and that means they dry out quickly. And these grasses do not contain the structure and nutrients that horses need.

• Mow the grass short, or let your horse graze it well just before you overseed it. This ensures that the new seed will reach the soil better.
• If there is a great deal of poor grass or weed in the meadow, it is advisable to remove it first with a grass harrow. This is easiest to do after a dry period. If you want to control weeds with a plant protection product, do it before sowing.
• After weeding, remove the loose plant material with a rake and pick-up wagon.
• You can easily sow seed on small plots by hand. Broadcast the grass seed evenly over the field. Rake the land lightly and over-walk or roll it after. It is best to use a specialised seed drill on larger fields. Ask your contractor for the right machine.
• If the pasture has many bald spots, use 40 kilos of HorseMaster per hectare. If the meadow has only a few bare spots, then 25 kilos of HorseMaster per hectare will be sufficient. Always choose HorseMaster for pasture intended for horses, and not grass seed intended for cows.
• At 2-3 weeks after sowing, give the young seedlings a better chance to emerge by grazing the pasture or giving it a light cut. This allows more light through to the seedlings so that they can compete better with the older grasses. Do not apply any slurry during this period. 

If the turf of your horse pasture is in very bad shape, it is a good time to consider re-sowing. Re-sowing makes sense if more than 20% of the meadow consists of bare spots, poor grasses or weeds. You can read more about re-sowing here.