🌱 DIY Pasture Assessment: What Your Horse’s Field Is — and Isn’t — Providing Nutritionally

When we think about feeding our horses, we often focus on what’s in the feed bin — hay, pellets, balancers, and supplements. But for many horses, pasture is the foundation of their diet, especially in the spring and early summer when grass growth is abundant.

The quality and composition of that pasture, however, can vary dramatically from paddock to paddock, season to season, and even week to week. A lush-looking field might be hiding nutritional imbalances, toxic weeds, or sugar spikes that increase the risk of laminitis. On the other hand, a bare or overgrazed paddock may not be providing enough forage, leading to deficiencies and digestive issues.

The good news? With a bit of knowledge and some simple DIY observation techniques, you can learn a lot about what your paddock is — and isn’t — delivering nutritionally, and make more informed choices about your horse’s feeding plan.

🌿 Step 1: Look at the Big Picture — Pasture Cover, Density, and Diversity

Before diving into plant species or lab testing, start by assessing the overall condition of your pasture. This gives you an immediate sense of whether it’s providing adequate forage and whether the balance of plants is likely to meet your horse’s basic nutritional needs.

Things to check:

• Ground cover: At least 70% of the soil surface should be covered by living plants. Bare patches invite weeds, erosion, and compaction — and they signal that the pasture isn’t producing enough forage.

• Sward height: Ideal grazing height for most horse pastures is 7–15 cm (3–6 inches). Below this, grasses struggle to regrow and can’t photosynthesise effectively; above this, plants become stalky and less nutritious.

• Species diversity: A healthy pasture should have a mix of grasses and legumes, and possibly some beneficial forbs (broadleaf plants). Monocultures or dominance by a single species often indicate nutritional imbalance or poor management.

• Horse behaviour: Are horses grazing evenly across the field or selectively eating only certain areas? Heavy grazing in some spots and ignored sections elsewhere can reveal palatability issues or the presence of weeds.

🧪 Step 2: Identify What’s Actually Growing — Nutritional vs. Non-Nutritional Species

Many horse owners are surprised when they take a closer look at what’s actually in their paddock. Pastures often contain a mix of nutritious grasses, invasive weeds, and “gap fillers” that do little nutritionally.

✅ Desirable Grasses and Legumes

These are the backbone of a healthy horse pasture. They provide fibre, energy, and protein in a form that’s easy to digest and suited to the equine digestive system.

• Perennial ryegrass: Highly palatable, energy-dense grass. Can be high in sugars — caution for laminitis-prone horses.

• Cocksfoot / orchard grass: Good drought resistance and moderate sugar content.

• Timothy: Excellent fibre source and low to moderate sugar content.

• Clover: A legume providing protein and minerals, but excessive clover can contribute to weight gain and lush growth.

•  Rhodes Grass: Suitable for subtropical to tropical climates and drought-tolerant. 

⚠️ Problem Plants and Weeds

Not all plants are created equal. Some offer little nutritional value, others compete with desirable pasture species, and a few are potentially harmful. Early identification and control are key to reducing risks.

🚫 Capeweed (Arctotheca calendula)

One of the most common spring weeds in Australian horse pastures, capeweed is highly competitive and quickly colonises bare patches. Its bright yellow flowers might look harmless, but it poses multiple problems:

• High sugar and nitrate levels — which can spike in spring — significantly increase the risk of laminitis in susceptible horses.

• Often unpalatable in early stages, leading horses to selectively graze the remaining good pasture and accelerate overgrazing.

• Can form dense mats that choke out desirable grasses and reduce biodiversity.

👉 Management tip: Improve ground cover through reseeding and rotational grazing to reduce capeweed dominance. Spot-spray young plants before flowering and remove seed heads before they spread.

🚫 Other Common Spring Weeds to Watch For

• Paterson’s curse (Echium plantagineum): Attractive but toxic in large amounts. Can damage the liver if consumed regularly.

• Dock (Rumex spp.): Often a sign of compacted soil. Low nutritional value and unpalatable.

• Catsear / false dandelion (Hypochaeris radicata): Can dominate poor soils and may be linked to “stringhalt” when grazed heavily.

• Flatweed (Hypochaeris spp.): Another laminitis-risk weed due to fluctuating sugar content in spring.

🌞 Step 3: Understand Seasonal Nutritional Shifts — Spring Grass and Sugar Surges

Spring brings explosive pasture growth — and while that’s good for forage availability, it also introduces significant nutritional risks.

🍬 Non-Structural Carbohydrates (NSCs) and Sugar Spikes

Rapidly growing spring grass is often very high in NSCs (sugars and starches), especially during sunny days followed by cool nights. Horses prone to metabolic conditions — such as laminitis, EMS (equine metabolic syndrome), or PPID (Cushing’s disease) — are particularly vulnerable.

• Morning vs. afternoon sugars: NSC levels typically peak in the late afternoon and are lowest early in the morning. Grazing sensitive horses during low-NSC windows can reduce laminitis risk.

• Short, stressed grass: Overgrazed, short grass often has higher sugar concentrations per mouthful than taller, mature pasture.

• Weeds and immature plants: Opportunistic species like capeweed often contain higher soluble carbohydrate levels than mature grasses.

👉 DIY test: A handheld pasture refractometer (Brix meter) can provide a rough estimate of sugar content in plant sap — a useful tool for managing laminitis-prone horses.

🧭 Step 4: Do a Rough Nutritional Assessment — Fibre, Protein, Minerals, and More

Even if the pasture is lush and green, it might still be lacking essential nutrients. A DIY assessment can help you decide whether supplementation is needed.

🌾 Fibre and Energy

• Mature grasses provide structural fibre for digestive health but may be low in energy.

• Lush spring grass is high in energy and soluble carbohydrates but lower in fibre, potentially leading to loose manure or gut upset.

• Horses need to consume 1.5–2% of their bodyweight in forage (dry matter) daily — check whether your pasture can supply this or if hay is needed.

🥩 Protein

• Most well-managed spring pastures provide adequate crude protein (12–20%), especially with clover present.

• Late summer or overgrazed pastures often fall below protein requirements, particularly for young, growing, or hard-working horses.

🪨 Minerals

Pasture mineral content depends on soil fertility and species diversity. Common deficiencies include:

• Zinc and copper — often low, particularly in ryegrass-dominated pastures.

• Selenium — can be deficient in many Australian soils.

• Calcium:phosphorus ratio — may become imbalanced, especially if pasture contains a lot of legumes or weeds.

👉 Tip: A soil test and pasture analysis (via your local agricultural lab) is the most accurate way to identify deficiencies. Once you know the baseline, you can use a mineral balancer or targeted supplement to fill the gaps.

🐴 Step 5: Match Pasture Quality to Horse Needs

Not all horses have the same nutritional requirements. A pasture that’s perfect for a broodmare or growing youngster might be too rich for a pony or retired horse. Consider:

• Easy keepers / laminitis-prone horses: May need restricted grazing (e.g. using a track system, muzzle, or dry lot) in spring. Monitor sugar intake carefully.

• Performance horses: May benefit from the high energy of spring grass but still require concentrated protein and minerals for muscle repair and stamina.

• Young, growing horses: Need consistent protein, balanced minerals, and moderate energy for skeletal development. Overly lush grass without mineral balance can lead to developmental issues.

🛠️ Step 6: Management Tips to Improve Pasture Nutrition and Reduce Risks

A few simple management strategies can significantly improve your pasture’s nutritional quality — and your horses’ health.

🔄 Rotate Grazing

Divide larger paddocks into smaller sections and rotate horses through them. This allows grass to rest and regrow, improving both yield and nutritional quality while reducing weed pressure.

🌿 Control Weeds Early

Weed management is far more effective in the early growth stages before flowering. Hand-pull, mow, or spot-spray problem species, and always follow up with pasture improvement measures like reseeding or soil correction.

🪱 Maintain Soil Health

Healthy soil equals healthy pasture. Regular soil testing (every 2–3 years) helps you identify nutrient deficiencies and pH imbalances. Addressing these with appropriate fertiliser or lime applications encourages desirable plants and discourages weeds.

🪵 Use Track or Sacrifice Areas

If your horses are prone to laminitis or the pasture is struggling, consider setting up a sacrifice paddock or track system. This allows you to control grazing pressure, reduce sugar intake, and give pastures time to recover.

🌄 Time Grazing

Adjust turnout times to align with lower sugar periods (usually early morning). Avoid grazing high-risk horses on frosty mornings or during rapid spring growth spurts.

🧭 The Take-Home Message

Your horse’s pasture isn’t just a field — it’s a dynamic, living feed source that changes constantly throughout the year. A paddock that appears lush and green might still be lacking in minerals, overloaded with sugars, or dominated by harmful weeds like capeweed. On the flip side, even a sparse paddock can be improved with good management to provide safe, balanced forage.

By learning to assess your pasture’s structure, species composition, seasonal changes, and nutritional profile, you can:

• Make informed decisions about when and how to supplement.

• Reduce the risk of metabolic issues like laminitis.

• Support your horse’s digestive health and performance naturally.

• Save money by targeting nutrition gaps rather than guessing.

A little knowledge — and a regular pasture “check-up” — goes a long way in keeping your horses healthy from the ground up.

If you want to improve your horse's pasture, why not visit us in-store. We have a wide range of horse pasture mixes (seeds) as well as fertilisers that nourish the soil, making your grass strong and healthy, and perfect for your horse.