Creating Climate Resiliency with Healthy Horse Pastures 

Healthy pastures play an important role in reducing greenhouse gases by sequestering carbon all summer long and storing it in their roots.  Well-managed grass pastures provide a very healthy cost-effective and high value feed, improve water quality, combat soil erosion and nutrient runoff. 

Climate change is presenting many new challenges to horse owners. Changing weather patterns such as periods of excessive rain, drought, and fluctuations in temperature during winter months make it particularly challenging to maintain healthy grass pastures.  This Challenge is presented in a time when healthy pastures are very critical for the role they play in the natural carbon cycle. 

Over grazed Pastures,  those grazed below 4 inches can actually contribute to equine metabolic issues, and other health issues.  Over grazed pastures actually contribute to climate change and degrade local water quality. 

While cooperative extensions and soil and water districts have great advice on developing resiliency, most of the solutions provided are not are not equine specific.