The UK Horse Pasture Evaluation Program had another strong evaluation season during the summer of 2023. 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.

In 2023 the program conducted 31 full farm evaluations covering over 500 pastures in 9 counties. The total farm acres from the enrolled farms was over 7000.

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