Pasturing after several years dry

Question
Hello Corlena,
I am bout to move my horses and for the first time in several years they will be in a pasture full of burmuda :) question is: will there be any problem going from dry lot to pasture, I did google but nothing truly answered my question. I found the most perfect piece of land that ran cattle, but the former owner had seeded burmuda and orchard so I know these are great, just not sure how the horses will feel after so many years with no pastue to graze on any type of upset to watch for? or can they go for it and I can relax. Thanks

Answer
Hi BJ,

Thank you for your question.  As long as your horses don't have serious issues with laminitis, there should be no problem putting them back on pasture.  In fact, pasture is so much more natural for horses than even hay can be, and provides both dietary and habitual benefits.  Horses need to graze to keep their digestive systems healthy, but the activity of grazing is inherently important to the horse's psyche.

Having said all of that it is important that you re-introduce pasture, or any new forage for that matter, gradually into the diet.  A horse's digestive system needs about a week to adjust to digesting a new forage, and fresh pasture (especially if it is really nutrient dense)should be phased in over that week's period.  The best way to transition from dry lot to full grazing is to expose your horse to only a few hours of grazing a day for the first few days and then increase the amount of time they have access to the pasture a bit every day.  In about 7-10 days (again depending on how rich the pasture is) they should be able to graze the pasture full time.  Keeping an eye on your horses' manure can help you gauge how well they are adjusting to the pasture.  If the manure is very watery, like that of a cow, they need longer to adjust to the pasture.  If the manure remains normal and forms balls of poop then they are adjusting quite well.

I hope that helps, especially since it is to their benefit to be on pasture free choice.

Thanks, Corlena