The UK Horse Pasture Evaluation Program had another strong evaluation season during the summer of 2021. This program began in 2005 as part of Equine Programs to develop stronger ties with Kentucky’s horse industry. The program focuses on the following objectives:

• Providing detailed pasture management recommendations to horse farm owners and managers.

• Improving pastureland by increasing forage quality and quantity and reduce the need for stored feeds, such as hay and grain.

• Assessing the potential risk of fescue toxicity for broodmares on pastures.

• Providing undergraduate students with a new appreciation for agriculture and the horse industry.

The 2021 growing season was an exciting one for our team as we rolled out a new data collection method using handheld GPS systems and began utilizing the newly developed UK Horse Pasture Health Scorecard to evaluate large numbers of smaller paddocks. We were also very glad to be back to in person events, with the UK Equine Farm and Facilities Expo being held in September at Spendthrift Farm. Finally, additional herbicides, such as Prowl H2O and Duracor have given farm managers more options for controlling unwanted species in pastures.

In 2021 the program conducted 27 full farm evaluations covering 480 pastures in 8 counties. The total farm acres from the enrolled farms was 6,627.

Collaborators: S. Ray Smith, Krista Lea and Jimmy Henning