Not all meadows are the same - and there are very special conditions for horses, so that the active steppe animals feel comfortable there.
What is important in a horse meadow
Knowledgeable horse owners know that the sensitive animals should not simply be placed on any pasture - especially not if grass and herbs are to make up the main part of the animal's diet. The perfect horse manner has the following characteristics:
- It contains structurally rich but protein-poor grasses and various meadow herbs.
- Instead, weeds and poisonous plants are ideally absent.
- It is extremely hard-wearing - horses need a lot of exercise and therefore put a lot of strain on the turf.
- The pasture is characterized by dense vegetation without bare spots so that the animals can find enough food.
- The existing forage plants are tasty, otherwise they will not be eaten.
Furthermore, a horse meadow must be fenced in, with a solid fence being the best (because it is the safest) choice. However, since this cannot always be set up, you can alternatively install an electric fence. It is better to use colored electrical tape instead of the almost invisible wire.
The right seed mix for a horse meadow
In order for all of these conditions to be met, you have to pay attention to the right location and the use of the right seed mixture when setting up the horse meadow. A wet meadow is extremely unsuitable for horses. Do not use a mixture for cattle pasture for sowing, as these are far too rich in protein. Mixtures with ryegrass, meadow meadow grass and timothy grass, meadow fescue and red fescue are more suitable.
Maintaining a horse meadow
Horse meadows should be pruned regularly so that unwelcome parasites do not multiply. Furthermore, the horses should be able to change pasture regularly so that an area can recover and regenerate in the meantime. From time to time, check the meadow for unwanted growth (e.g. buckhorn or the very poisonous ragwort) and remove it before it can seed and spread further. Regular fertilization is also advisable, although you should only spread slow-release nitrogen fertilizers - conventional artificial fertilizers are usually too nitrogenous and therefore too rich in protein.
tips and tricks
As steppe animals, horses tend to need meager meadows. You can tell that your meadow is too rich in protein and therefore too fat by looking at indicator plants such as stinging nettles, groundweed, dandelion, couch grass and ore as well as shepherd's purse, chickweed and dead nettle.