Is Kentucky 31 Good For Horses?

Regardless of what type of horses you own or manage, Kentucky 31 tall fescue is not the best grass available and shouldn’t be included in your seed mixtures. The Alliance for Grassland Renewal is hosting three novel tall fescue renovation workshops this spring.

What kind of grass is best for horse pasture?

Grass mixtures containing the following species are good for Midwest horse pastures.

• Endophyte-free tall fescue.
• Perennial ryegrass.
• Kentucky bluegrass.
• Timothy.

Can horses eat Kentucky fescue grass?

Tall fescue is a grass which grows on approximately 35 million acres of land in the United States. As many as 700,000 horses may graze fescue pastures or be fed fescue hay each year.

Is Kentucky 31 a good pasture grass?

While Kentucky 31 tall fescue has and is used extensively for live stock pasture grass, agronomists no longer recommend Kentucky 31 for livestock pastures due to the presence of endophytes. Endophytes are a naturally occurring fungus in fescue grass species that protect the grass from insects and disease.

What is the best fescue for horses?

TALL FESCUES
NOVEL TALL FESCUES ARE AS COMPETITIVE AND GRAZING TOLERANT AS THE COMMON TOXIC TYPE, BUT AS SAFE FOR LIVESTOCK AS THE ENDOPHYTE FREE TYPE, AND THEREFORE THE IDEAL TYPE OF TALL FESCUE TO PLANT ON HORSE FARMS.

What grass should horses not eat?

What kind of grass is bad for horses? Don’t let your horses eat any of the following: sorghum, sudangrass, johnsongrass, or any varieties of these types. Horses can get sick from eating this grass. That’s why horse owners must know what the grass is in their pastures.

Which grass hay is not recommended for horses?

Hoffman said there are a few grasses to avoid in hay or forage if you are feeding horses. They include: Perennial ryegrass and rye.

Will fescue hurt a horse?

Fescue infected with the endophyte Neotyphodium coenophialum produces chemicals toxic to horses. Infected pasture and hay is toxic for horses to eat. The toxic chemicals in the stems and leaf sheaths tend to peak in late June and decline as the seeds develop.

What is fescue toxicity in horses?

Summer fescue toxicosis is a warm season condition characterized by reduced feed intake and weight gains or milk production. The toxins affects cattle, sheep, and horses during the summer when they are grazing or being fed tall fescue forage or seed contaminated with the endophytic fungus Neotyphodium coenophialum.

What is a good winter pasture for horses?

Ryegrass is highly preferred by horses and also tolerates grazing better than some of the other annual options. For those concerned about non-structural carbohydrates, however, annual ryegrass may have the potential to accumulate more stored sugars than other annual forage species.

How long will Kentucky 31 grass seed last?

one to three years
Seeding and Overseeding
KY-13 lawns benefit from regular overseeding every one to three years. Plant Pennington Kentucky 31 Grass Seed about 45 days before your typical first fall frost date so it can get established before winter cold arrives.

How long does it take for Kentucky 31 grass to come up?

Plant it in the early spring or early fall and start to see results within 8 to 21 days. A 5-pound bag covers up to 1,000 square feet for overseeding an existing lawn and 415 square feet for starting a new lawn from scratch.

Will Kentucky 31 grow in winter?

Kentucky 31 is a cool-season grass, meaning its most vigorous growth happens during cooler temperatures of fall and spring. Like other tall fescue varieties, KY-31 is best adapted to regions with moderate summers and cool winters.

Is Kentucky 31 tall fescue good for pasture?

Kentucky 31 is currently primarily used for lawn and turf grass. It does have a more coarse appearance than improved types. While Kentucky 31 tall fescue has and is used extensively for livestock pasture grass, agronomists no longer recommend Kentucky 31 for livestock pastures due to the presence of endophytes.

Is fescue or orchard grass better for horses?

If feeding grass hay, keep in mind that horses tend to prefer “stalky” grass over soft grasses, so timothy and orchard grass are good choices. Fescue hay (or pasture grass) should never be fed to pregnant mares because an endophyte (fungus) that grows in this grass can cause pregnancy complications and abortion.

What is the best seed to plant for horses?

Find the Right Seed for Your Pasture
These benefits only come with the best grasses and legumes, like alfalfa, white Dutch clover, orchardgrass, Kentucky bluegrass, perennial ryegrass, Timothy, and tall fescue (endophyte free) — all of which are available in Nature’s Seed horse pasture mixtures.

What are 3 things horses should not eat?

Here are eight foods you should never feed your horse:

• Chocolate. ©russellstreet/Flickr CC.
• Persimmons.
• Avocado.
• Lawn clippings.
• Pitted fruits.
• Bread.
• Potatoes and other nightshades.
• Yogurt or other milk products.

Do horses prefer grass or hay?

While most horses do well and thrive on a grass hay diet, other horses with different needs and medical conditions are better suited to being fed a diet of grass/alfalfa mix, or an exclusively all alfalfa.

Is Longer grass better than short for horses?

For the majority of horses, long, pasted grass is better than short, young grass. Most horses do not need the high nutritional value and benefit from the many fibers and the low nutritional value of long grass.

What hay is toxic to horses?

Endophytes present in tall fescue and ryegrass produce mycotoxins that are toxic to equines. Endophyte-infected fescue hay can cause reproductive problems resulting in dystocia (foaling difficulties) and poor milk production.

What is the best quality hay for horses?

Timothy hay is one of the most popular hays fed to horses. It can be quite expensive, depending on whether it has to be shipped long distances. Timothy must be harvested in the pre- or early-bloom stage to ensure a high nutrient content.