Grass alternatives for paddock/pasture?

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SoFloShetlands

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We have two tiny miniature shetlands that are in a wooded paddock about an acre in size. It was completely overgrown and impassable when we moved in so we had it brush hogged. There are tall pine trees and palmettos at the upper levels, but the ground covers growing back in are stuff like very aggressive grapevine and cocoplum that wants to be 20 feet tall (and there would be bracken and ragwort if I didn't pick it) so I need to gradually remove it and replace it with something. Grass seems the obvious choice, and there is some growing already, but even here in Florida where the grass supposedly has all the nutritional content of iceberg lettuce, I see minis with grazing muzzles so I'm thinking that might be too much for them.

We also have an air-fern 13hh pony in the paddock next door (which is identical) who had to wear a grazing muzzle 24/7 when we kept her on grass--another reason I'm nervous about it.

Have people planted anything other than grass as a paddock/pasture ground cover (it's not really a pasture as it's shady woods). I saw something about Perennial Peanut the other day and the picture had minis on it. And it has to work in this hot climate which can be tropical rainforest one minute and dry desert the next :D.

I'd welcome any suggestions!
 
Sorry....no suggestion about grass alternatives....however, I thought I'd still recommend planting grass because from what you describe, you probably won't get a whole lot growing anyway. Pine trees AND the shade will discourage many grasses from growing.
 
I agree. Plant some. I have an area similar and there is little grass but it is perfect for minis. Keeps them slim all summer and in winter they go to the big field.
 
Thanks for the input--grass is certainly the cheapest and easiest thing to grow and the ponies will enjoy it. It's shocking how well stuff grows down here even under a tree canopy because we get a lot of sun and rain.
 
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That is an awesome Paddock Paradise setup. So well thought out and I love the way they incorporate strip grazing. I could certainly do something similar if I grow grass and it turns into a problem.

I made a paddock paradise loop around a big field of too-rich grass I had two horses on in England. It worked really well for about a year until my neighbor lent me two miniature shetlands with huge winter coats and they couldn't feel the electric fencing on the inside of the track so they knocked it all down within days (it was pigtail posts with electric rope) and I had to abandon it and go for grazing muzzles instead.... The shetlands I have here are clipped since it's always hot so I don't have that problem ;)
 
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Thanks for the link. I was already planning to stop by the local agricultural extension, but it's at a botanical garden so I'm not overly hopeful. I'll try the FSA too.
 

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