By their very nature, horses are not kind to pastures. They are picky eaters and tend to graze forages they like down to the bare dirt. Most horse people don't help matters much either. They are the world's worst at overstocking.
North Carolina horseman Billy Parton manages around those tendencies. Even though he has as many as 45 horses on his Morganton ranch, he generally has something green and nutritious for them to nibble.
"We have several lots," says Parton. "In the front part of the farm we strip graze two pastures. There are four strips of probably an acre and a half each, and we usually have four head on one of the strips. When the grass grows up tall enough in places that we need to mow, we'll move them to another strip."
Virginia Tech forage specialist Chris Teutsch is a fan of rotational grazing, especially in the spring when grass growth goes from zero to full speed in no time flat.
"The general rule is that if the grass is growing rapidly then your rotation should be rapid. That allows you to stay ahead of the grass by topping it off and keeping it in a vegetative, nutritious state."
MANAGING FESCUE. The old-fashioned Kentucky 31 variety of fescue with the endophyte that is harmful to livestock performance is in the strips Parton uses for rotational grazing. Since the toxin can cause abortions, foaling problems and hurt milk production during the last three months of pregnancy, Parton doesn't put brood mares in those strips until after they foal.
Another Parton management trick is rotation/renovation of pastures. "Our farm is divided in halves," he says. "I use rotation and a sod drill to try different things."
Max Q fescue heads the list of his current favorites. It has a novel endophyte—one that doesn't harm animals but does give it the hardy characteristic of the older fescue varieties.
Although the bulk of his 100 acres is in orchardgrass, Parton says it isn't a grazing-friendly forage for horses. "Horses just eat it in the ground." That means he saves most of it for high-quality hay. He also has a few paddocks of common bermudagrass.
"Because of the way bermudagrass grows with a spreading-type growth habit, it is one of the most tolerant grasses when it comes to horse grazing," says Teutsch. "There are a number of seeded bermudagrasses that are ideal for horse pastures. And since they are seeded, they are easier for horse owners to use than the old sprigged types."
Parton also tries to have a paddock full of pearl millet for grazing in late summer. The summer annual helps him renovate pastures and provides green forage at a time when it is usually at a premium.
To keep green grass in front of his horses in the winter, Parton overseeds ryegrass into his permanent pastures, starting in mid-fall and continuing until the end of December. "We start by grazing the pasture down, then drill it in. We leave horses off for two or three months, and by March or early April it's up."
Fertilization is also high on Parton's management list. He has a manure storage building so he can compost the manure and sawdust from horse stalls. In May he picks a pasture and spreads the mix, leaving horses off for 30 days. He soil-tests every other year and applies about 300 pounds of 15-15-15 or 17-17-17 per acre as needed.
"If we need early grazing, we may apply it as soon as January. We also find we need to lime frequently, given the horse manure we use," he comments.
Mowing and dragging are two more tools in Parton's management kit. "I run a drag harrow to knock manure piles down in the spring and fall. That destroys fly eggs."
After he drags in the early spring, he sets his mower at 6 to 8 inches to help with weed control.
Teutsch adds that mowing "maintains pastures in a vegetative state and encourages regrowth."
For Parton, all the pasture chores come under the category of looking after his business. "Good pasture isn't any more than good management," he states.
See next page for our tips on growing bermudagrass. [PAGEBREAK] 
Get Bermudagrass Growing
Your first hurdle with bermudagrass is variety selection. What works in south Georgia might not make it in the mountains of Virginia. Start by calling your local county Extension agent. He or she can tell you what varieties have done well in your area.
Next, crabgrass is out to get you—or at least your bermudagrass. To try and head off the competition, wait until it's warm outside to plant. "We used to recommend planting in April," says John Andrae, Clemson University Extension forage specialist.
"That theoretically allowed bermudagrass to get a two- or three-week head start on crabgrass, which tends to germinate later in the spring. Unfortunately, crabgrass can still outcompete bermudagrass."
Andrae says it may be better to wait until the soil temperature is 65 degrees or above at a 4-inch depth. "That delay should improve bermudagrass' seedling vigor and disease resistance."
As for the seeding itself, you're way ahead of the game if you start with a well-packed, clean-tilled seedbed.
Get the tilling out of the way as soon as you can in the spring so the soil will settle. Then, soil-test and apply the recommended amounts of phosphorus, potassium and lime.
Early prep time will let the crabgrass and other weeds germinate in late April. Then you can spray with glyphosate (Roundup) or paraquat (Gramaxone Max). Don't do any more tilling after you spray—you'll only encourage more crabgrass. Simply no-till into the killed seedbed at a shallow depth.
Andrae says you can no-till bermudagrass into killed fescue or small grains with a no-till grain drill.But make sure you remove as much residue as possible to decrease shading and improve seed/soil contact. Just be sure to keep the seeding depth very shallow.
"No-till planting into living fescue or common bermudagrass is a waste of time and money because of the plant competition for water and light," Andrae explains.
When seeding into that nice prepared seedbed, use the boot test to make sure the ground is firm enough.
Walk across the tilled ground; if your boot sinks deeper than 1⁄8 inch, no deal. Your soil is too fluffy, and your seed will go down too deep.
If your seedbed passes the boot test, broadcast your seed and cultipack it. However, that usually only works where crabgrass isn't a problem.
Sandy soils are also difficult to get seeded bermudagrasses established because of deep seeding and drier conditions.
Accurate seeding depth is critical for good establishment. Be absolutely sure the seed doesn't go deeper than 1⁄8 inch. If using a grain drill on prepared ground, try removing the seed tubes from the disc openers, and let the seed fall directly in front of the press wheel. That delivers the seed to the soil surface and firms it into a narrow disturbed strip for good seed/soil contact.
Remember your Roundup or Gramaxone Plus? They're fine to use immediately prior to planting. But Andrae says not to spray with a preemerge herbicide before planting. Also stay away from 2,4-D for a minimum of three to four weeks before planting.
Once the bermudagrass is up and running, you can use 2,4-D on broadleaf weeds.
If you have crabgrass or goose grass, you'll have to stick to mowing. There are no herbicides that will kill those two and leave bermudagrass unscathed.