What is horse grass? How does it function in the pasture? Where can I buy it?
Horse grass is a genus of common lawn grass. It belongs to the family Lemnae, or sea lettuce, lawngrasses.
Lemnae grasses grow in long, slender leaves that grow up and then fold over again as they mature. These plants are typically about 6 inches tall with a wide leaf size of 32 inches across.
These plants are commonly found in open land areas, such as near water sources or pastures. You can plant them either by the road, where people can access them, or by someone teaching you how to take care of them.
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Annual ryegrass
Annual ryegrass is a winter wheat that grows tall and wide. It is commonly used as a forage grass because it does not come up during the summer months.
Annual ryegrass is native to North America where it has historically lived in prairies and open fields. It has historically co-existed with other grasses, such as fescue.
It is very rare to find it in natural settings due to its short lived nature. Annual ryegrasses are typically planted in fields where there will be long-term cultivation such as pastures. Because of this, annual ryegrass tends to be better at standing up to some time of cultivation than some types of pasture that does not require maintenance.
Because of its short lifespan, annual ryegrass must be pastured year-round! This can be difficult if you do not know where your land has beensite.
Tall fescue
Tall fescue is a tall, coarse grass that can grow up to two feet in height. This grass is ideal for pastures that are somewhat large in area. It requires some space to stay dominant.
Fine grasses
As the name suggests, stints of short grass will fit in well with your pasture. This is one type of horse grass that does not require much else to look complete. It can be lightly grazed or not, it does not lose its quality or standability as grazed material.
This is one type of horse grass that does not need to be handled as thoroughly as others in order for it to look complete. This is important to take into account when choosing a finish for your arena-braised knees or a soft blanket for a shelter.
While some horses will never enjoy standing on barely maintained shortgrass, it is one way to ensure enough coverage is getting to the horses needs. If you have others in your unit that do not enjoy this type of pasture, there are ways to make more cover available.
Sweet grasses
Found in many pastures, sweet grass is an important component of a horse pasture. It provides texture and/or nonexistent ridges to the surface of your pasture. This pasture style is called a neighedly or hayfield style pen, where your horses have unrestricted access to food and shelter.
Meadow grasses
Found in many areas as a natural pasture grass, fescue is very forgiving. It can be overseeded, making it easier for it to grow.
Ocenizo is a native fescue grass that does not occur in all areas of the country. It is more common near rivers and in wetter environments.
Because it grows well with little intervention, fescues are popular over time. Because they can be overseeded, having some fescues on your property is good quality land!
Making a investment in some fescues is an affordable way to add some green to your land. They are also easy to maintenance, as there are no trees or structures involved.
Ricegrass
ricegrass is a medium green grass that grows tall with each year. It is named ricegrass because it grows tall and upright grains that look like rice. This grass is ideal for your pasture due to its ability to grow tall and upright.
Ricegrass is hard to control as it requires frequent watering and grazing for proper growth. Since it does not begin growing roots until the second year, it can be difficult to measure growth. However, in 2016, Texas had over $3 million in crop Value added due to ricegrass!
Another way ricegrass can be beneficial is by adding nutrients to your pasture. When grazing on ricegrass, horses will bring up soil nutrients through their manure. This helps maintain a healthy environment for other grasses and trees in your pasture!
We recommend mixed white oak standable timber with no other species of grass or tree planted together.
RedTOP millet
RedTOP is an unusual looking grass. It looks like a red, white, and brown powdery top. RedTOP is not the only kind of top that grows with a top-like pattern on it.
RedTOP is not a common grass species, which is why it needs to be careful about its location. It must be able to withstand hot temperatures and dry conditions, as it does not take too much else when it does not come in clumps.
Because of its unique look, RedTOP may be the first horse grass you mention when people ask about lawns. People may even ask how much you pay for your lawn.
Pearl millet
This horse grass is named after its yellowish-white grains. They are called pearl millet in the cattle market due to the slightly milklike texture of the seeds.
Heavily riser pasture diagonal blades create a hard, dry surface for the grass to grow in. These must be maintained to stay green, and sometimes it can be hard to see it.
These grasses will begin growing shortly after they are planted, so take some time to check them often. Once they reach six inches in height, let them stand for an hour so they can develop some legs. This is so they can get a good footing and access to development.
These grasses do not require any kind of shelter or protection from other grazers.