Horse Pasture Management and Welfare: Forage, Turnout and Land Health

Pasture quality and management profoundly affect horse welfare through forage availability, exercise opportunity, and social expression. Good pasture management serves both horse and land health.

Key Facts

Horses evolved as nomadic grazers covering 16 to 24 kilometres daily while grazing for up to 16 hours
Restricted turnout on barren or overgrazed pasture provides the welfare benefits of outdoor access without nutritional value
Mixed grazing with cattle or sheep improves pasture quality by reducing worm burdens and improving grass species diversity
Rotational grazing systems maintain sward quality and reduce parasite contamination compared to continuous grazing
Horse-safe hedgerows and trees provide shelter, browsing opportunities, and increased habitat complexity
Over-supplemented horses on lush pasture face laminitis risk that can be mitigated through strip grazing or track systems
Track systems that encourage movement around a perimeter track provide exercise while limiting grass access for good-doers

Welfare Considerations

Pasture management has profound welfare implications for horses because the quality and design of outdoor space determines how much of the natural foraging, locomotion, and social behaviour horses can express during turnout. Bare, overgrazed paddocks provide the psychological benefit of being outside but fail to provide the physical and behavioural benefits of appropriate grazing. Equine track systems have emerged as an innovative approach that provides movement opportunity and environmental enrichment while managing grass access for laminitis-prone individuals. Mixed-species grazing improves parasite management and sward diversity with welfare benefits for both horses and companion animals. The welfare investment in good pasture management through appropriate stocking rates, rotational systems, and habitat enhancement pays dividends in horse health and natural behaviour expression.

What You Can Do

Manage stocking rates to prevent overgrazing that creates bare, welfare-poor paddock environments
Implement rotational grazing systems to maintain sward quality and reduce parasite contamination
Consider track systems for laminitis-prone horses to manage grass access while maintaining movement
Plant horse-safe trees and maintain hedgerows to provide shelter and habitat complexity
Seek regular faecal egg count monitoring to optimise pasture management and parasite control