Pasture, horse nutrition

[Hope03]

I just met a new neighbour of mine and he is wanting to buy some horses, now he showed me the field they would be in and it was clover...now I know for sheep that, clover is horrible in large amounts, how bad is that for horses? I want to tell him but if I am not sure about it I want to make sure. My horses are just on mixed grasses and just a pasture mix. If anyone knows if clover is bad for horses let me know. If its good for them thats even better lol. He is a first time horse owner. Thanks

[Andy]

#ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#Some clover is OK but make sure it is not Aslike Clover:#ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#A href="http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/livestock/horses/facts/info_alsike_clover.htm#red"#ed_cl#http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/livestock/horses/facts/info_alsike_clover.htm#red#ed_op#/A#ed_cl##ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl#

[Leena]

#ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#Pasture can be terrible to horse for the simple reason that it is rich and very high in protein; no matter mix you have you should always be carefull and go very slowly.#ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl# #ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#I always put some hay especially in the spring time and I put the horses a few hours everyday for a week or so.#ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl# #ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#Now as for clover, there is white and red clover; I have mostly hay and white clover in my pasture and I have not experience any problem, especially laminitis. I have been told to be carefull on red clover; but I don't have much of it.#ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl# #ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#I would suggest you go on Ontario agriculture site, they have excellent articles on pasture management. This could help.#ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl# #ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#Good luck to this person !#ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl# #ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#Leena#ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl#

[Ruth]

#ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#We, thanks to the Co-Op#ed_op#IMG src="http://forums.equestrianconnection.com/richedit/smileys/Angry/1.gif"#ed_cl#, have quite a bit of red clover in our hay. I haven't had any problems with the horses eating it, however it is h#$l to dry, that's part of the reason I lost my hay this year, the hay had dried properly, but the red clover wasn't quite ready, so it molded once it was baled.#ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#I wouldn't want to put horses on a clover only pasture, I would want to get some grasses mixed in. My pasture is a mix of grass and clover and the horses do tend to leave the clover in favor of the grass. They will eat it, but only once the grass is grazed down. The upside to clover is that it is quite durable and grows later in the year.#ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl#

[Andy]

#ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#Ruth , How long ago did you seed your hay field? If your mixture has clover in it, it will#ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#be predominant for the first few years until the grasses get established.#ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#How did you cut it? Alpha and/or clover need to be cut with a haybine rather than a cycle mower. You can also put proprionic acid on the hay while cutting it to help it dry and stop mold. Also with alpha and heavy clover mixes, re-rake it the morning before you bail it. This bleaches it more but it's better than damp or mold.#ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl# #ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl#

[Ruth]

#ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#Andy, we seeded it 3 years ago. That's good to know that the grasses will establish themselves more, I'm encouraged by that. We have it cut for us, and I really don't know what he uses for equipment. We did use acid on it. It still molded, but like I said just the red clover went, the grasses didn't, but I gave it away anyway, we have pregnant mares, so not worth taking the chance and the horses really weren't interested in eating it when I did try it.#ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl#