LAST week, the Irish Thoroughbred Breeders Association (ITBA) held an excellent webinar titled ‘Focus on Climate Action Plan’.

The panellists discussed some key points in relation to biodiversity which included grassland and pasture management. Every year, and this year in particular, our department at the Irish Equine Centre (IEC) has been asked to investigate reproductive and developmental issues on a number of stud farms throughout the country.

Once illness and disease has been ruled out, the focus often turns to the nutritional picture of the farm.

Grass and water make up 90% to 100% of a horse’s diet when at pasture yet we often have no idea of what nutrients they are providing. Many of the farms we visit for investigation are found to be either mineral rich or mineral poor.

We often see mineral poor farms who under supplement their animals, leading to developmental and reproductive issues. However, we also see mineral rich farms who over supplement their animals which can cause similar problems.

Fertilising

Indiscriminate fertilising of land to drive grass growth and over supplementation of feed for horses is not just environmentally unfriendly; it is inaccurate, inefficient and a waste of money and resources.

The mineral substances copper, magnesium, zinc, calcium, phosphorous and potassium are vital for optimum skeletal development in horses. The level of antagonistic metals such as iron, molybdenum, manganese, aluminium, and nickel can interfere greatly with the uptake of these vital minerals.

Over stocking, soil pH, extremes of weather, environmental conditions and fertiliser use can all have a huge influence on the availability of both good and bad minerals and metals in your grass.

If you wish to optimise the production of your horses, you need to know what your soil requires to grow healthy grass. Once you have provided targeted fertilization to the soil it is now important to know what levels of good and bad minerals and metals are available in your pasture for your horse. This can only be done by gathering factual information by seasonal analysis of your grass and getting to know your farm.

Minerals

If your grass is still mineral poor following optimisation of soil and grass analysis, you will need to supplement your horses through additional feed or mineral supplementation. If your grass is mineral rich, additional supplementation may not be required.

Soil analysis profiling of pasture land should be carried out at least once every two years and grass analysis should be carried at least once a year during the growing season. The mineral content of well water for drinking can fluctuate greatly also and should be analysed at least twice a year.

When you gather the facts, you can make informed decisions. The IEC promote preventative measures across all aspects of horse management. It is no different with pasture management as in the long run it is usually financially prudent to prevent problems rather than always reacting.

The IEC provides a pasture, forage, soil and water analysis service which helps farmers optimise the development of their animals. We provide a collection service or farmers can collect the samples and send them to us.

For information on collection or sampling of soil, grass or water please contact the environment and nutrition department at the Irish Equine Centre.

Call 045 866266 or email nutrition@irishequinecentre.ie.