A horse at liberty will graze about 16 - 18 hours a day. His food should be low in protein and rich in fibre and carbohydrates, as in grass. The horse's digestive system handles bulk well, but too much protein causes digestive problems, and can cause colic. Good pasture will contain a mixture of grasses and preferably some white clover; too much red clover can be too rich for horses. The clover is useful also in attracting bees, which pollinate many plants. By drawing nitrogen from the air it improves the growth of the grasses around it

Perennial rye grass is nearly always present and easily recognisable. Modern low endophyte ryegrass eliminates the chance of rye grass staggers. It is a perennial, quick growing, drought resistant grass, of high feed value, which suits dry conditions, remaining appetising even then. It gives a more rapid ground cover than any other sown grass and starts to grow very early in spring.

Other desirable grasses to provide the nourishment and bulk that a horse requires are:

• Cocksfoot is a tall erect greyish to bluish green perennial grass. It does well on all soils except sandy ones, stands drought well and will grow under trees. Unless tightly grazed, it tends to become rather coarse and highly tufted, so is then neglected by horses and can lead to patchy grazing.
  


• Timothy thrives best on heavy lands, and will succeed on wet clay where other grasses often fail. It is extremely palatable and has a long life. It is unsuited for light soils or for districts with a rainfall of less than 90cm. Commonly found in the South Island
  
• Crested Dogstail is a rather small grass, growing low and dense and forms a close turf. Less productive than Rye grass, it will hold its own on medium soils and re-seeds itself well. It does not do well on sandy soils. It is common in frequently grazed pastures and waste places
  
• Prairie grass is a tall slightly hairy perennial grass that resembles cocksfoot. It requires careful management, being upright and palatable at most times of the year, continuing to grow during cold weather. Prefers fertile fairly moist loams, but will survive on dry loams. Plentiful in waste places and is becoming more popular for pasture
  
• Tall fescue resembles Italian ryegrass. It is slow to establish but properly managed can persist for many years. Autumn growth is usually good, and it does not suffer frost damage. It is a tall dark green, fairly harsh grass; prefers wet fertile soils but can stand drought well

Weeds and poisonous plants
A pasture that contains many weeds usually means that the land has been neglected Rushes and buttercups suggest land that will be wet in winter. Weeds like thistles and docks are not desirable; they spread quickly and take up useful space.

‘One years’ seeding is seven years weeding’!

Ragwort, hemlock, castor oil plant, NZ tutu, Mexican Devil weed (found only in Northland and the Auckland area), and potato are all plants poisonous to horses. 

Noxious weeds must be eliminated by law as most spread quickly and spoil otherwise good pasture

Poisonous plant management
Ideally all such plants must be eradicated completely.  Simply trimming them or cutting them down is not enough. They must be dug up, cleared away and preferably burnt.  Ragwort, for instance, when dead and dry contains a high sugar content, which is attractive to horses, but quite deadly. Hemlock, too, is more poisonous when cut and left to dry. Sprays can be quite effective and are best applied by an expert who understands how to safely apply them and how long horses must be removed from the pasture. Some poisonous plants become more palatable after spraying, yet are still toxic. Poisonous trees too big to remove must be fenced off so horses cannot gain access to them.

Stocking rate
This will depend on the overall management of the paddock, the time of year, the rate of grass growth and the feeding value of the grass.

Two or three horses per hectare may be suitable if the paddocks are well cared for.

Seasonal variations to horse management
Extremes of heat and cold will slow down or stop grass growth, so horses’ condition needs careful watching in January to March, as well as during the winter months.

In wet weather the land will become soft and easily cut up (‘pugging’), especially if many horses are turned out together and gallop about, damaging potential grass growth. 

Horses do better if they can lie down on dry land at night.

Lacking condition  

Too much condition. Grazing should be rationed.

During spring, especially mid September to early November, when the grass is at its maximum growth rate, horses tend to “do” extremely well, can get over-fat and even suffer from founder, or laminitis, so need to be carefully watched and probably have their hours of grazing rationed.  

In summer the pasture may need to be mowed or ‘topped’ to remove dry, stalky stems, encourage new grass growth and control weed growth. 

Fertiliser
You may consult the local stock agent, or have soil samples analysed, to decide what your land needs.  Top dressing can greatly increase the quality and quantity of grass, and increases the number of years a pasture will survive before re-sowing.

Various mixtures of superphosphates can correct deficiencies of cobalt, copper, sulphur, and selenium.  Lime is useful for sweetening paddocks and tends to discourage worms by reducing the acidity of the soil.  On light land it helps to retain the water needed for grass growth

 Ideally animals should not be reintroduced to fertilised paddocks until 25 –30 mm of rain has fallen, or some heavy dews, for at least 10 days, so there has to be an alternative paddock available, but with some modern sprays this may not be necessary.

Some pumice soils on the East coast of the South Island, and the Central Plateau of the North Island, particularly, are very deficient in:

a) selenium, a trace element beneficial to the growth of bone and muscle, especially in young animals, and
b) sulphur.

This can be corrected by:

a) giving a regular drench of liquid selenium to every horse (your vet will advise how much and how often) and
b) correct fertilizer programmes, containing nitro phosphates

During a drought, overgrazed and pastures affected by grass-grub may need to be re-sown from time to time so that maximum stocking can be obtained.

Methods of application
Mainly dry, can be pelleted, for slow-release, or by powder, scattered by a top-dressing truck.  Can be in liquid form, when it is spread by a boom sprayer behind a truck or tractor.

Values of rotational grazing
Paddocks benefit from a time of re-growth, and the opportunity for droppings to be picked up or otherwise dealt with, and possibly fertiliser applied.  Horses moved on every two weeks into fresh pasture will gain maximum benefit from the change.  Ideally they should be put onto fresh pasture after drenching

Supplementary feeding

This is primarily done in the form of hay.   If possible this should be given morning and evening, with the major ration at night, when the horses will have more time to eat and digest it. 

Hay can be fed in hay-nets, but this can be dangerous, leading to nets falling on the ground, or horses’ legs being tangled in one hung too low. 

A safer method is to put down more than enough piles of hay for the number of horses in the paddock. There will always be one or two dominant animals that chase timid ones away, maintaining a “pecking order”, when a timid horse can be pushed around by the other hungry animals. The heaps should be well spaced out, and not too near the gateway, where horses waiting for their feed tend to gather and churn up the footing

Feed at the same time each day. Otherwise the horses get restless and quarrelsome

Use a different area from time to time, to prevent land being over-trodden, and to allow hay-seeds to germinate and improve the quality of the paddock eventually.

If concentrates are to be fed out in the paddock, and not given individually in yards, it is important again that the containers, mangers, bowls or buckets (including one spare), are well spread out, and the feed is given out as quickly as possible, to avoid action by any jealous kickers. If possible, feed the bossy types first

Botanical name Nerium oleander
Evergreen shrub up to 8m high. Leaves long, thin, leathery, with a prominent mid-rib.
Flowers are red, pink or white, up to 8cm diameter, showy, funnel-shaped.
Found as an ornamental shrub in both islands as far south as Canterbury.
A most poisonous plant all over.
Toxic to man and livestock, especially cows and horses.
Clinical signs: Abdominal pain, bloodstained droppings, profuse sweating, convulsions and paralysis before death The toxin is a cardiac (heart) poison

Botanical name Taxus baccata
Grows into an evergreen tree up to 20m tall. Bark reddish, flaky especially in old trees, spreading, rather hanging branches. Leaves very fine, narrow. Flowers very small cones.
Seeds borne in small bright red fleshy berries.
Grown throughout New Zealand, often in cemeteries and parks, sometimes as garden hedges, when the trimmings must never be allowed to be left in paddocks.
Leaves, bark and seeds are poisonous, equally when dried or wilted.
Clinical signs: Pronounced excitement, nausea, trembling, staggering, followed rapidly by death. The toxin is a mixture of non-irritant alkaloids

Botanical name rhododendron
Evergreen shrub of varying size. Grows into tree height in areas of high rainfall. Long oval leaves. Flowers in clusters of many colours, mainly pinks, reds, and purple.
Is grown throughout New Zealand, wild in bush towards the West Coast.
More likely to be chewed by cows and sheep than by horses, but all garden clippings must be removed from paddocks. All parts are poisonous, but flowers are most likely to be eater.
Clinical sighs: Slobbering, abdominal pain, depressed respiration, weakness, staggers, convulsions and finally death from respiratory failure.

Botanical name prunus laurocerasus
An evergreen shrub. Leaves are long ovals. Flowers white, highly scented in upright clusters, fruit is dark purple.
Is usually cultivated as a hedge plant, and has become wild in some areas. Is not very palatable to stock.
Clinical signs; Poisoning is acute, the animal goes down, struggles convulsively and soon dies The toxin is a hydrocyanic acid

Botanical name Myoporum laetum
A New Zealand native shrub or small tree up to 10mtall, bark is brown, thick and furrowed. Leaves 4 -10cm long, sharply pointed bright green and shiny.
Flowers white spotted with purple, and bundles of 2- 6.Fruit reddish purple, oblong.
Ngaio is found mainly on coasts, but also in lowland forest, as far south as Otago.
All parts of it are toxic, but the leaves are the highest. Nothing much is known of the effect on horses, but liver damage would be involved.
Clinical signs; the skin may swell, break dry and peel off, there is severe abdominal pain, dullness and loss of appetite.