Roaming and grazing on a high-quality pasture are vital for horses’ well-being and overall health. In general, a well-fed and nourished equine eats around 2% of its body weight daily. This means that around two acres of land are needed on a pasture for each grazing horse.
So, every equine lover must ensure that the grass their horses are grazing on, contains all the nutrients and minerals essential for their optimal health and performance. Here, horse pasture seeds can help you.
With dozens of options available in the market, it’s hard to choose which ones are the most effective. Therefore, to ease it out for you, we’ve created this list of the top three horse pasture seeds out there.
Let’s get started.
Quick Picks
Best Overall
The Pasture RX Premium Grass Seed is currently our top pick for the best horse pasture seeds. This package is a reliable and nutritious pasture seed mixture for your horse’s pasture.
Best Budget Option
Our top pick for the best horse pasture seed mixture on a budget is Barenbrug Classic Stockmaster Premium. This quality forage seed mix is cost-efficient and has a good profile as each bag covers 25 to 30 acres that germinate easily and quickly. Good news for equestrians: This budget-friendly pasture seed mix grows in all climates and is suitable for grazing and hay. What more could you ask for?
Best Horse Pasture Seeds: Reviewed
Now, let’s review the top three horse pasture seeds in the market.
1. Pasture RX Premium Pasture Grass Seed – Best Pasture Seeds
The Pasture RX Premium Grass Seed is a great option if you are looking for nutritious grass for your horse pasture. It comes in a 23-pound bag containing seeds suitable for 3 to 4 acres and produces excellent quality and highly nutritious grass.
It contains Ryegrass, Orchardgrass, novel Fescue, Alfalfa seeds, and Red Clover—a mixture that your horse will love to feed on. However, the product is a bit expensive if you compare it to its bag size.
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Since this grass seed mix is a combination of grasses and legumes like Orchardgrass, novel Fescue, and more, it is highly digestible.
Another good thing about Pasture RX Premium Grass Seed is that it is easy to plant and simple to start growing pasture, and is ultra-absorbent.
Pros
- 100% safe
- Contain non-GMO grasses and legumes
- Extremely nutritious grass
- Highly digestible and tasty
- Grows and spreads rapidly
- Drought resistant
- Handles close grazing
Cons
- Quite expensive than others
- Only available in one size
2. Barenbrug Classic Stockmaster Premium – Best Forage Seeds
Are you looking for an excellent and long-lasting horse pasture mix? Barenbrug Stockmaster, a multi-purpose forage and grass seed mixture, is highly digestible and palatable for all horse types.
It includes improved qualities of tall fescue, perennial ryegrass, and orchardgrass. All of these ingredients make the pasture grow fast and provide higher yields. It comes in two sizes of 25-pounds, and 50-pounds bags. So, you can choose the bag size according to your need or the area you want to seed.
Try producing grass via full cultivation or no-till seeding at 25-30lbs an acre for best results. Or, you can also establish the grass with broadcast seeding at 35-40lbs per acre.
Overall, the Barenbrug Stockmaster is a great option for nutritious hay production and grazing. However, some customers complained they received the package with grass combinations other than the ones listed in the description.
Pros
- Highly palatable and digestible
- Provides higher yields
- Reliable and long-lasting
- Different package sizes available
- Suitable for all classes of livestock
Cons
- Grass varieties do not match the description
3. X-Seed Dry-Land Mixture – Best Grass Seeds Mix For Horses
Finally, we have X-Seed Dry Land on our list. This is one of the finest seed mixtures for horses to feed on. This exceptional grass seed mixture formulation is 100% safe and perfect for horses as well as other types of livestock such as cattle and sheep.
It includes wheatgrass, meadow brome, and orchardgrass, all that make these forage seeds mix highly nutritious and healthy to give to your horses. Since this seed mixture is designed particularly to work great in hot, dry areas, equestrians living in other regions like damp areas may not get a lot of benefit from this.
Pros
- High quality
- Requires very little or no watering
- Can be thrown down rather than planted
- Endophyte free pasture
- Excellent source of fiber
- Formulated particularly for hot, dry areas
- Perfect for low maintenance turf
Cons
- It takes time to start germinating
- Bit expensive
- Only available in one size
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FAQs About Horse Pasture Seeds
Let’s answer some of the most frequently asked questions about horse pasture seeds.
Bermudagrass is a warm-season type of pasture grass. Under the right conditions and circumstances, it grows rapidly. This grass is one of the most famous and commonly used hay options and is mainly used with dog’s tooth grass, devils grass, ethana grass, couch grass, and many other grass names.
This nutritional grass 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.
Remember that if your equine suffers from laminitis, then it is better not to use this grass as it is not suitable for horses that can put on weight quickly and easily.
Typically, pasture seeds take around 5 to 10 days to germinate. However, it also depends on the seeds you have.
For best results, we recommend leaving an interval between seeding and leaving the new seeds. This way, the seeds will germinate and establish themselves. This interval should be around 5-6 weeks, but once the seeds are established, you can let your horses graze for a few days.
But after this, it is recommended to remove the horses and let the ground recover for about 2-3 weeks.
Some reliable and long-lasting grasses include orchardgrass, Kentucky bluegrass, smooth bromegrass, reed canarygrass, cocksfoot, or timothy. All of these grasses provide an ongoing source of nutrition. Bluegrass tolerates close grazing down to two inches, which makes it a good choice for heavily used pastures.
To create a beautiful pasture for your equine, keeping horses away from a newly seeded site is recommended for around 3-4 months, even though pastures are fast-growing and can start growing after just two weeks of seeding.
However, it is best to wait for the recommended time interval (3-4 months) before letting your horses feed on the pasture.
It depends on the type of pasture and the seeds you are planting. For example, if you are sowing for cool-season grasses, you need to do this before the frost. For that, it is best to seed at least 45 days before the first frost of fall.
On the contrary, warm-season grasses can be planted until the late spring for good results. And if you are trying to reseed a horse pasture, then you must remove the horses from the seeding areas until the plants begin to establish.
If you are planting in the late summer, then the grass will usually be available for grazing in May afterward. On the contrary, seeds produced in the late winter or early spring months will be all set to use around 3-4 months after being planted.
However, it also depends on the seeds you are using.
Conclusion
Investing in a good quality horse pasture seed is essential for your horse’s health. Because a grass seed mixture is what your horse consumes or grazes from day to day, it should be full of minerals and must fulfill your horse’s nutritional needs.
There are plenty of forage seeds available in the market. We have reviewed and listed above the best of all three horse pasture seeds to make it easy for you to read and pick the one that matches your four-legged partner’s needs.
Lastly, always choose the grass seed mix that ensures your horse gets enough nutrients and minerals to stay healthy and strong. Plus, it should be easy to grow and offer higher yields.
