The absolute No. 1 choice for all equine enthusiasts. A scientifically developed combination of selected legumes, annual & perennial grasses providing your horses with nutritional healthy feed. Equi1st is also suitable for all livestock and a perennial option providing all year round production based on the availability of soil moisture.
Key attributes
- Formulated specifically for horses
- Relatively low in sugars and starch
- Moderate protein but still highly palatable
- Tolerant of animal traffic and grazing
- Also suitable for all other livestock
- Improves your soils as it establishes
Mix components
Formulation 2023
| Component |
|---|
Prairie Grass Prairie grass or Pasture Brome grass (Bromus sp.) is a grass that is tolerant to drier conditions due to deep root system. Its sugar and starch concentrations average around 10 to 15% in comparison to ryegrass at 30%+ and is highly palatable to the horse. Protein levels, as high as 12% are achieved at certain stages of its growth. This species of prairie/brome grass is specifically bred as a pasture grass and has no adverse effects on livestock, including horses. |
Serradella Serradella is a winter dominant, deep rooted annual legume which grows mainly during the Autumn, Winter, and Spring months. Being a legume, it has good levels of protein, consistently low in sugars and starch, highly palatable to the horse, and provides nitrogen fixation to improve the soil quality. |
Tall Fescue Tall Fescue is another common horse pasture with reasonable (around 15%) sugar and starch levels, highly palatable for horses and provides an excellent swarth of feed when required. Growing reasonably well in drier conditions, its deep root system does give it some resistance to the dry. Its main growing period is late spring/early summer. |
Teff grass is naturally low in sugars through most of the growing season plus fair protein levels (around 9%). During the plant’s young, growing stage, it is very palatable feed. As it matures though and starts to dry off, both its palatability and nutrient value start to fall. While it is a very good horse feed it does, like most C4 tropical grasses, contain an amount of oxalate (the calcium binding compound). While the oxalate concentration isn’t large, it is still present and therefore it is important that the Teff grass is not the only pasture species in the grazing paddock. |
Finecut Rhodes grass is very resilient to drought and heavy traffic. Rhodes does most of its growing during later Spring/Summer before drying off. Rhodes grass retains very low concentrations of sugars in the leaves at most stages of growth. Coupled with good palatability and very low concentrations of oxalates, this makes Rhodes the ideal horse safe pasture species. |
Callide Rhodes Grass being a tetraploid, Callide Rhodes grass is more palatable and tends to be preferentially grazed when sown with other sub-tropical grasses. Callide Rhodes grass has a high number of growing points with a more prostate growth habit than more recent releases and is coarser in the leaf and stem. It is also summer active where soil moisture is available. |
Cocksfoot Cocksfoot is a perennial tufted grass that is best grazed before flowering, and no lower than 5cm to allow for regrowth. Cocksfoot is hardy, drought resistant with deep roots. Endophyte free, tolerant to pest attack but can suffer from rust until established. Yarck Cocksfoot is a summer activity variety. |
Lucerne Lucerne provides a beneficial perennial legume component to this mix. Lucerne is a very nutritious feed and source of fibre. It contains about 18% high-quality protein which provides good levels of all the essential amino acids for horses, including lysine, which can be low in many feeds, including grains. It is high in digestible fibre, including pectin, which provides sustained energy (it is converted to glucose, glycogen, and fat in horses’ livers) and is very good for digestive health because it promotes beneficial gut microflora. Lucerne is readily available, very palatable, and highly digestible. |
*Occasionally some varieties in our mix will be replaced with a like-for-like variety where the original is not available or not easily accessible. Varieties in the mix will be specified on the bag label.
About this variety
Equi1st is an Irwin Hunter blend formulated specifically for horses, and it exists because horses are not cattle and should not be grazed as though they were.
Horses are not physiologically designed to cope with the high sugar and protein levels that traditional pasture mixes deliver. An ideal horse pasture is relatively low in sugars and starch and moderate in protein, while remaining palatable enough that the animal will eat it. That is a harder specification than it sounds, and it is why a general purpose pasture mix is a poor choice for a horse paddock.
Equi1st combines teff, prairie grass, serradella, tall fescue, Rhodes grasses, cocksfoot and lucerne, species selected for that sugar and protein profile rather than for maximum production. The blend is also tolerant of animal traffic and grazing, which matters on horse paddocks that carry concentrated use.
It improves the soil as it establishes, and it is suitable for all other livestock as well.
Because several components are tropical grasses that contain oxalate, the mix is designed so that no single species dominates the paddock.
Planting & grazing notes
Optimal sowing time Autumn/Early Spring; sow when soil temperatures are 16°C+ and rising as some species are tropical (C4); introduce horses to lush pasture gradually; mow unpalatable clumps not grazed since horses are preferential grazers. Equi1st has been specifically designed to benefit your horses, improve your soils and is tolerant of animal traffic and grazing. While the oxalate concentration isn’t large, it is still present and therefore it is important that the Teff grass is not the only pasture species in the grazing paddock. Cocksfoot is a perennial tufted grass that is best grazed before flowering, and no lower than 5cm to allow for regrowth.
Disease & pest resistance
Growing reasonably well in drier conditions, its deep root system does give it some resistance to the dry. Endophyte free, tolerant to pest attack but can suffer from rust until established.
Stand life
Do not graze for 4-6 months after planting (up to 8 months on very sandy soils) to allow root structure to establish; refrain from cutting for hay in the first year to encourage persistence. Reduce competition – Ideally spray out any existing pasture / persistent weeds before planting. This helps to maximise continued productivity and persistence.
How it's sold
| Form | Pack | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Bare | 25 kg | In stock |
