Horse Nutrition

Bulletin 762-00

Legume Selection

In general, legumes are important in any pasture mix for these reasons:

1. Legumes are nitrogen fixers. When 35% of the pasture plants are legumes, adequate nitrogen is supplied by the legume to maintain the production of associated grasses. This is an important economic factor when buying fertilizer.
2. Legumes contain about twice the protein level of grasses. Including them in a pasture will increase the nutrient value of the pasture.
3. Legumes enhance the acceptability, digestibility, and palatability of the pasture. This generally means better pasture utilization and healthier animals.

White clover is a shallow-rooted perennial that makes little growth during hot dry summer weather. It has a prostrate type of growth that is well suited to permanent pastures and is usually included in pasture mixes. Ladino is a larger variety of the white clover and is recommended over the small white clover for horse pastures because of its greater production.

Red clover is the most widely grown of the true clovers and is frequently included in pasture mixes for horses where tall fescue or orchardgrass is being seeded. Red clover is more tolerant of poorer drained soils and lower pH and is easier to establish than many other legumes. However, it also needs to be reseeded more often than some legumes because it is a plant that lasts about two years.

Birdsfoot trefoil is a deep-rooted, long-lived pasture legume for northern Ohio. The plant does not live long in central and southern Ohio and is not recommended for these areas. It is also the least palatable of the legumes. This plant is adapted to a wide range of soil conditions and will last for many years if properly managed. Special care is needed for seeding, as the seedlings are weak and hard to establish. Only bluegrass should be planted with birdsfoot trefoil in pastures because of its sensitivity to grass competition for nutrients.

Alfalfa has the highest yield potential and the most feed value of all the perennial pasture forages. It is unexcelled in drought tolerance. However, it requires very precise seeding and grazing management because it requires excellent surface drainage, good internal soil drainage, and a pH near 7.0. As a result alfalfa is not usually included in horse pastures but is used more for hay production.

Suggested forages and seeding rates for horse pastures: