Taking care of the pasture that your horses roam and graze on is essential to their health and wellbeing. The pasture and grass that you feed your horses is what helps them thrive and keeps them going, so you’ll want to ensure that you have only the finest and best quality seeds for a healthy pasture.
Equine lovers will know that horses need at least 2 acres of land for each grazing horse on pasture, and well fed and nourished horses will need to eat around 2 percent of their body weight every single day. So, you’ll need to provide your horse with feed such as hay, chaff and other treats.
What some horse owners do not realize is how far good, well cared for pasture goes in taking care of a horse’s nutritional needs.
What your horse grazes on and consumes from day to day is essential to your horse’s digestive system and their overall health, so you need to ensure that the grass and pasture is nutritious and full of vital minerals to keep them strong.
Luckily, we have created this guide of the best grass seed for horse pasture to give you an idea of the top choices available for your fields and paddocks.
Our Top Pick
X-Seed Dry-Land Mixture Premium Forage Seed Mixture
When it comes to your horses, you’ll only want the best. If you’re looking for the best grass seed for your pasture, then we recommend the X-Seed Dry-Land Premium Seed Mixture. This will give your horses the optimal nutrition and is the top product currently on the market.
This seed is of the finest quality, and is a premium mixture for your horse pasture. It contains wheatgrass, fescue, meadowbrome and orchardgrass for a variety of grasses, and is an excellent source of fiber. What’s better is that it is great for low maintenance turf, endophyte free and is highly nutritious. What more could you ask for?
Best Grass Seed For Horse Pasture
X-Seed Dry-Land Mixture Premium Forage Seed Mixture
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If you’re looking for only the finest, best seed mixture for your horses to graze on, then you’re in the right place. Our top pick of the best on the market is the X-Seed Dry Land Premium Mixture. This grass seed is perfect for horses, but can be used for cattle and other livestock too, making it 100% safe.
It also contains a mixture of meadow brome, wheatgrass and orchardgrass and is highly nutritious for your animals. This particular mixture is very hardy as it is formulated for hot, dry areas, and is also suitable for elevations of up to 8,800 feet.
- Contains: Meadowbrome, wheatgrass, fescue and orchardgrass
- Weight: 25 lbs
Pros
- Needs little to no watering
- High quality
- Can be thrown down rather than planted
- Great source of fiber
- Specially formulated for hot, dry areas
- Free of endophyte
- Good for low maintenance turf
Cons
- Can take a while to start growing
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MBS Horse Pasture Grass Seed Mix
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Another exceptional option is the MBS Horse Pasture Grass Seed Mix. This grass seed is a perfect solution as it is safe for grazing, as bales or for hay. This 10 lb bag is also suitable for 1 acre to grow high quantities of excellent quality and nutritious grass.
The MBS Horse Pasture mix is made from bermudagrass, bahiagrass, crabgrass and more, and is very quick to grow and spreads beautifully.
What’s also great about this one is that once this grass is well established, it is drought and heat tolerant and grows perfectly well on all types of soil! It’s also super easy to sow and will be so simple to start the germination process.
- Contains: Bermudagrass, Bahiagrass, Teffgrass and Crabgrass
- Weight: 10 lbs
Pros
- Suitable for grazing or as hay
- Exceptionally nutritious grass
- Quality, all natural plants
- Quickly grows and spreads
- Heat and drought tolerant
- Grows well on all soil types
Cons
- Stays very healthy in warmer months but can dry out in winters
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Mountain View Seeds Horse Pasture Mix
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If you’re looking for a cost efficient but effective seed mix for your horse pasture, then the Mountain View Seeds Horse Pasture Mix is a great choice.
This grass is formulated to suit most regions, and contains a mixture of orchardgrass, Kentucky bluegrass, Sutch white clover, ryegrass and more, for a nutritious combination of grasses to keep your horses healthy.
The one also handles close grazing well, and is suitable for either grazing or as hay. The other thing is that it is ideal for overseeding all pastures and hay fields and is certified as 100% safe for horses.
- Contains: Ryegrass, Orchardgrass, Kentucky Bluegrass, Dutch White Clover
- Weight: 25 lbs
Pros
- 100% safe for horses
- Suitable for hay or grazing
- Ideal for overseeding all pastures
- Contains a mix of nutritious grasses
- Cost effective
- High forage yields
- Handles close grazing
Cons
- Can take a while to establish
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Barenbrug Classic Stockmaster Premium
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If you want a reliable and long lasting horse pasture, then you cannot go far wrong with the Barenburg Classic Stockmaster Premium Grass Seed Mix. This mix is multipurpose, and is highly palatable and digestible for horses, alpacas, cattle, sheep and more, making it 100% safe.
It also establishes very rapidly and provides a high yield with a mixture of perennial ryegrass, tall fescue and orchardgrass that are ideal for pasture. This seed mix creates a beautiful, nutritious horse pasture that will be great for hay production or for grazing, as it is long lasting and high quality even long after establishment.
For the best results, this grass can be established via full cultivation or no-till seeding at 25-30 lbs an acre, but can also be established with broadcast seeding at 35-40 lbs per acre.
- Contains: Perennial Ryegrass, Tall Fescue, and Orchardgrass
- Weight: 25 lbs
Pros
- Highly palatable and digestible forage mixture
- Offers higher yields
- Ideal pasture for grazing or hay production
- Long lasting, high quality pasture
- Multipurpose grass seed mix
- Suitable for many types of livestock
Cons
- Not specifically formulated for horses
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Jonathan Green Black Beauty Ultra Mixture
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If you want a more multi-purpose grass seed, not just for pasture, then you can utilize the Jonathan Green Black Beauty Ultra Mixture. This grass seed is very forgiving, and is an excellent source of nutrients for your horses.
As there is a mixture of ryegrass and Kentucky Bluegrass, your horses will love and thrive off this seed mixture. This particular grass seed grows well in partial shade or full sun and can even establish itself in sandy or clay filled soils. In addition, the grass itself is naturally insect repellent and is extremely tolerant to drought!
For the best results, you’ll want to plant this seed in the late summer, but this will be a strong, hardy grass that will grow very well.
- Contains: Tall Fescues, Kentucky Bluegrass and Ryegrass
- Weight: 25 lbs
Pros
- Diverse and can be used for pasture or other uses
- Grows well in full sun or partial shade
- Very tolerant to drought
- Naturally insect resistant
- Can grow in clay or sandy soils
- Contains Kentucky Bluegrass
- Nutritious for horses
- Formulated for fast germination
Cons
- Not specifically formulated for horses
- Not as quickly germinating in some locations
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Pasture RX Premium Pasture Grass Seed
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Finally, we have the Pasture RX Premium Pasture Grass Seed. This is also a great option if you are looking for an excellent mix of nutritious grasses for your horse pasture.
What we like about this one is that it is very easy to plant, and the grasses can be grazed as soon as the plants have taken root. In addition, the mix is nutritional and animal friendly, with a high nutrient content and non GMO grasses and legumes that is 100% safe for your horses.
The seedlings themselves are enhanced for better establishment, an improved overall yield, and increased longevity so you can focus on tending to your horses instead of the grasses! For the best results, you’ll want to plant this one in the early spring, late summer or early fall.
- Contains: Orchardgrass, Red Clover, Ryegrass and novel Fescue
- Weight: 23 lbs
Pros
- Highly nutritional and animal friendly
- Easily digestible and palatable
- Easy to plant
- Will improve the pasture’s yield and longevity
Cons
- Much more expensive than others
- Slow to grow
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Buyer’s Guide
How To Choose Grass Seeds For Horse Pasture
When it comes to choosing grass seeds for horse pasture, you will want to ensure that it is suitable for your horse’s needs. Horses grazing on pasture will need all of their essential nutrients and minerals to keep them healthy and thriving.
This is why there are some grasses that are better than others, as they can fit all of your horse’s nutritional needs. The best grasses for this are therefore:
- Orchardgrass
- Kentucky bluegrass
- Nimblewill
- White clover
- Bermudagrass
- Tall fescue
- Rhodes grass
If all of these different grasses seem confusing for you, don’t worry, we’ll go over what some of them are and why they’re worth yours and your horse’s time! First up, we have Orchardgrass.
Orchardgrass
Orchardgrass is 100% safe for horses as it is a green, leafy and nutritional type of grass. It is a great choice of pasture, and comes in many different weird and wonderful names.
This type of grass is often used as a hay or pasture all over the world, and tends to grow anywhere between 0.6 to 1 meter in height. In addition to this, it has got a great nutritional content, and works well for various types of grazing animals, not just horses.
Kentucky Bluegrass
Kentucky Bluegrass, along with meadow grass is one of the best types of grass and is commonly used for horse pastures. It’s low wielding and slow growing, but has a lot of nutritional value and can grow in the winter, as it is a cool season grass.
This type of grass is often best for humid areas where the temperature peaks between 60 and 90 degrees fahrenheit. However, it should be planted between 50 and 60 degrees fahrenheit.
Nimblewill
Nimblewill is a popular and commonly used pasture across the states. It actually belongs to the Poaceae family and is often mixed in with other grasses for better nutritional value. Some horses do not enjoy the taste of Nimblewill, so it may need to be mixed in with other types of pasture for the sake of your horse!
However, it is a warm season pasture, which will bloom well in the spring months and will continue to grow well into the summer months.
In addition to this, Nimblewill is another great option because it can thrive on lower quality soils that are not as fertile as others, so you don’t have to worry about having highest quality soils for this one.
The other great thing about Nimblewill is that it is 100% safe for horses, but as mentioned before it is a little bit of an acquired taste for your horse, and they may not seem to like it at first or on its own.
White Clover
White Clover is a herbaceous perennial that is also known as Dutch clover or ladino clover. It is not just grown for horses, but can also be used for other livestock too.
This type of seed can also be used with orchardgrass, ryegrass and things like tall fescue to ensure that your horse has all of the necessary minerals and nutrients to keep them healthy.
This type of pasture also does not require fertilizer when grown on nitrogen deficient soil, and it will continue to grow and bloom through the spring and summer months.
White clover is a powerful grower and will continue to grow and grow greatly. So, keep this in mind, as you may find it difficult to control once rooted and established.
Bermudagrass
Bermudagrass is a warm season type of pasture grass that grows very quickly under the right conditions and circumstances. This is one of the most popular and commonly used hay options and is often used with devils grass, couch grass, dog’s tooth grass, ethana grass and many other grass names.
This type of grass is nutritional and has some nutritional benefits but it is best mixed in with some protein rich and calcium rich grass for a more wholesome diet and better health for your horses.
Just keep in mind that if your horse suffers from laminitis, then it may be worth not using this one as it is unsuitable for horses that can gain weight quickly and easily.
Tall Fescue
Another cool season horse pasture option for you is tall fescue. This pasture is a type of bunchgrass, and is very simple to grow as it is very tolerant to heat and drought. Because this one is a cool season grass, it will grow very well and quickly in the spring and fall as long as it is cool enough.
It’s also very fast growing, and is safe and nutritious for your horses, as long as it does not get infected by any fungal problems.
Rhodes Grass
Finally, we have rhodes grass which is typically found in tropical and subtropical regions for livestock. This grass is mostly grown in the spring and summer months, and can be found naturally in woodlands and grasslands.
The great thing about this kind of grass is that it is great for horses with a sensitive stomach as it has a lower sugar and starch content. It’s also high in calcium and offers a lot of nutritional benefits for your horses!
Frequently Asked Questions
What Should I Seed My Horse Pasture With?
For the best results, we recommend using a high quality grass seed that you can rely on. This means that it is safe for your horse, with high rates of germination and is free of contamination to keep your horse happy and healthy for longer.
How Long After Seeding Can My Horse Graze The Grass?
If you want to create a beautiful pasture for your horse, then it is recommended that you keep horses away from a newly seeded site for about 3-4 months, despite the fact that pastures are fast growing and can start growing after just 2 weeks of seeding.
That being said, it is best to wait the recommended period of time (3-4 months) before you allow horses to graze on the pasture.
When Should I Seed Horse Pastures?
This sort of depends on the type of pasture, and the seeds you are planting. For instance if you are planting for cool season grasses, then you will need to do this in advance of the frost, so it will have to be at least 45 days before the first frost of fall. On the other hand, warm season grasses can be sown up until the late spring for the best results.
When you are trying to reseed a horse pasture, you should remove the horses from the seeding areas until the plants are established.
If you are sowing in the late summer months, then the grass will typically be ready for grazing in the May afterwards, whereas seeds made in the late winter or early spring months will be ready around 3-4 months after being seeded. However, it does depend on the seeds you are using.
How Do You Grow Grass For Horse Pasture?
To ensure that the land is perfect for horse pasture, there are a few things that you will need to do. First, it is best to conduct a soil test to ensure that it is suitable. Then, you will need to choose a pasture seed from our selection above, and plant the seeds.
You will then just need to control any weeds, use fertilizer and wait for the seeds to germinate and grow, until your horses are ready to graze the pasture.
Which Kind Of Grass Is The Best For Horse Pasture?
In our opinion, Bluegrass or orchardgrass will be the best for horse pasture as it is filled with all of the nutrients and essential vitamins for your horse, and it is rather hardy meaning that it will not get damaged by rough grazing.
Can I Fertilize Pasture If My Horse Is Currently On It?
It is not recommended that you fertilize your pasture when your horse is on it as some fertilizers can be harmful, so avoid this if possible. However, if you have to do this out of necessity, then it is best to use much milder fertilizers such as nitrogen rich fertilizers as these are safer to use around animals.
How Long Until Pasture Seeds Germinate?
For the most part, it will take pasture seeds around 5 to 10 days to germinate, however it does depend on the seeds themselves.
It is best to leave an interval between sowing and leaving the new seeds to germinate and establish themselves. This interval should be about 5-6 weeks, but once the seeds are established, you can allow the horses to graze for a few days, but after this, you’ll want to remove the horses and let the ground recover for about 2-3 weeks.
Can My Grass Seeds Grow If I Just Throw It Down?
Yes, in most cases, seeds will grow if you just throw them down instead of planting them. However, it is recommended that you put a layer of soil or mulch down to plant your seeds as this will result in a much better and finer horse pasture in the long run.
