Horse pasture provides a number of benefits to the horse and horse owner. For the horse the pasture is a place to exercise and yes, have fun. Anyone who has watched horses cavort on open pasture have seen this. The horse can also derive all or almost all of his nutritional requirements for maintenance from a well-maintained pasture during the growing season. Exercise, feed, social interaction with other horses, a respite from the dusty air of the barn all make good pasture a horse's best friend. Shelter from the elements is also an important component of a pasture. For the horse owner the pasture can save a tremendous amount of money compared with having to buy hay and feed for the horse. Also, every hour out on pasture means that much less stall cleaning for the horse owner.

With all this benefit why do so many horse owners continue, year after year, to have such poor pastures? Perhaps understanding right up front why so many pastures turn out bad might help you prevent this. The reasons are many but could be summed up:

• Never properly established
• Poorly maintained
• Over grazed

There is a solution to each of these problems: rotational grazing. This article addresses managing your pastures to maximize the benefit and minimize your feed costs.