lucerne pasture

Question
hello, for how much time, can i set loose horses on lucerne pastures? if yes, then for how much time can my horses spend grazing on lucerne pastures, how big can the pastures be? can i include a big shed with 8 open stalls, 4 on both sides so that whenever it rains, horses can come running under the shed for shelter?

Answer
Hello Caine,

Thank you for your question.  As much as I like alfalfa hay for horses, I would be concerned that fresh alfalfa pasture can be a little rich for horses on a free choice basis.  When you cut a forage and let it dry for hay, it respires on the ground and loses some of the soluble carbohydrates in the leaves...meaning it becomes a little less rich as hay compared to when fresh.  So if you wanted to allow your horses to graze on it, you may need to limit their access to it.  You would also want to introduce them to it slowly, starting with an hour of grazing per day and increasing to 3-4 hours a day.  If you really want to use alfalfa for pasture, limit their access to a few hours a day and provide dry alfalfa hay or grass hay for the remainder of the day.  As a side note, alfalfa is a crop that does not withstand traffic very well.  It has a root node that sits slightly above ground level and becomes damaged/killed when walked on.  It would be preferable to mix the alfalfa with grass/grasses to make pasture...and choose an alfalfa variety like 'grazemaster' alfalfa which withstands the abuse a little better.  Your pasture can be any size that is convenient and available for you...but if you want a field that provides enough feed for your horse without having to feed hay, you are going to need a minimum of 1 acre per horse.  Of course, that number will depend on growing climate.  If the area is very dry and forages are slow to grow back, you will need more space...but if it is a fast growing environment that 1 acre should be enough.  

Having an open sided shelter in a field is important if horses don't have any natural shelter, especially where there is heavy rain and/or intense sunlight.

Thanks, Corlena