An indication that a pasture is overgrazed would be the absence of grass, bare ground, and unwanted weeds. Horses are notorious for spot grazing a pasture. In order to have uniform growth, a pasture must be grazed evenly. Horses should be encouraged to graze the entire pasture by moving water supply, salt, or supplemental feed buckets. If this technique is not effective, mowing the pasture at regular intervals to the recommended height will promote uniform regrowth. Chain harrowing the pasture to spread out manure encourages more uniform pasture grazing. Grazing cattle with horses or after horses if you are rotating pastures also promotes uniform grazing.
In moist climates (40 or more inches of rain per year), grazing within an inch of the ground is acceptable because the grass will regenerate readily. In arid climates (less than 15 inches of rain per year), grazing below 2-3 inches can damage the forage.
