Biodiverse Grazing Mix for Horses

For pasture owners looking to improve soil resilience, biodiversity and grazing outcomes. Delaying the addition of biodiversity adds to management workload and repeated inputs. This mix is compatible with the SFI Countryside Stewardship scheme (Herbal Ley - GS4, SAM3, CSAM3) and reduces the need for fertilisers.

Category	Highlights
Scale and coverage	Specifically designed for full paddock establishment or overseeding by the acre, with 20+ species including 20% herbs and wildflowers. Creates consistent, balanced grazing across large areas, in a way small wildflower percentages alone can’t achieve.
Grazing balance	The variety of grasses and herbs supports natural foraging and steadier intake, reducing seasonal sugar spikes and overgrazing. Limited botanical diversity can leave horses with fewer choices and put pressure on preferred plant species.
Soil function	Deep, varied root systems enhance nitrogen fixation, aggregation, aeration, and water storage. Low-diversity swards recover slowly and are more prone to compaction—issues this mix avoids.
Resilience and reduced  inputs	Structurally diverse swards persist longer, recover faster from grazing and weather stress, and reduce the need for repeated reseeding or fertiliser. With 20% well-established herbs and wildflowers, this mix thrives in most soil conditions without token quantities that die out quickly.
Equine welfare	True botanical diversity supports natural grazing behaviour, gut microbiome health, and prevents high sugar grass dominance. Narrow swards can limit choice and increase digestive or behavioural stress.
Management flexibility	A botanically diverse sward gives more options to adapt to seasonal growth, stocking density, or changing horse needs across rotational, track-based, or mixed grazing systems.

Establish a botanically diverse sward to improve soil function, plant resilience and flexibility across your grazing. Support your horses and reduce the need for avoidable interventions.

The Biodiverse Grazing Mix is suitable for most UK soil types and has been designed for full paddock establishment, pasture renovation and large-scale overseeding.

It combines:

• 80% grazing-tolerant grasses

• 20% horse-safe herbs, legumes and wildflowers

to create a resilient, botanically diverse horse pasture.

The herbal and wildflower component introduces functional diversity into the sward, supporting:

• Variation in rooting depth
• Access to a wider range of minerals
• Soil microbial activity
• Grazing choice for nutritional and behavioural enrichment

The mix is compatible with the SFI Countryside Stewardship scheme (Herbal Ley - GS4, SAM3, CSAM3)  to improve soil health and increase biodiversity. 

Wildflower, Legume and Herb species are included to support system function alongside grasses. Many are relatively lower in sugar compared to improved agricultural grasses, and their presence helps reduce overall sward sugar concentration.

The grass species have been selected for their relatively low sugar profile, grazing tolerance, growth habit, and contribution to soil structure.

20 percent herbal and wildflower species: Wild Carrot, Lady’s Bedstraw, Meadow or Tufted Vetchling, Birdsfoot Trefoil (Ag), Musk Mallow, Sainfoin (Ag), Ribwort Plantain, Salad Burnet, Self Heal, Common Sorrel, Dandelion, Chicory, Lesser Knapweed, Cow Parsley, Red Clover (Ag)

80 percent traditional grass species:
Crested Dogstail, Red Fescue, Common Bent, Smooth stalked Meadow Grass, Rough stalked Meadow Grass,Cocksfoot

Intended use: Full paddock establishment or renovation

Sowing rate:

3 g per square metre for establishment

1 to 2 g per square metre for renovation and overseeding

Seed classification: UK native unless otherwise stated as agricultural (Ag)

Exact species proportions may vary slightly depending on seasonal seed availability and final testing. We reserve the right to substitute equivalent species where necessary.

Bag Sizes: 

Each 12 kg bag is designed for full establishment of approximately 1 acre, or overseeding up to 3 acres depending on conditions.

Each 5kg bag is designed to overseed up to 1 acre depending on conditions.

Choose the Biodiverse Grazing Mix if you are:

• Establishing a new horse paddock

• Renovating an existing field

• Reseeding larger grazing areas

Choose the Wildflower Grazing Mix if you want to:

• Repair bare patches

• Overseed existing pasture

• Improve tired areas

• Enrich grazing systems

• Increase plant diversity without reseeding the whole field

For maximum botanical diversity, many customers choose to sow both mixes together.

The best establishment method depends on your soil, equipment and management goals.

Recommended sowing rates:

New establishment

3 g/m² (approximately 12 kg per acre)

Overseeding

1–2 g/m² (approximately 4–8 kg per acre)

For best results:

• Prepare the soil appropriately.
• Sow onto or close to the soil surface.
• Press seed firmly into the soil.
• Rest the area until plants establish.

Detailed guidance is available in our pasture management articles and educational courses, such as:

 Supporting land without restricting horse movement, 

How to Add Wildflowers to horse pasture

When to overseed, reseed or wait

For overseeding smaller areas, consider using the Wildflower Grazing Mix for Horses.

Healthy, functional soil that is not over fertile gives the best results. You can learn how to support soil condition by enrolling onto the soil course.

 

Many of the species in this mix are perennial and will take time to establish. Soon after sowing, there may be a flush of annual weeds from the soil seed bank. While these can look untidy, they provide shelter for young seedlings, support insects, and will die back naturally within the year.

As the annuals decline, the young sward will become established and can be managed through light grazing. Remove any toxic perennial weeds that establish alongside the herbal ley by hand.

Many customers choose to establish or restore areas gradually over two to three seasons.

Establishing more than 3 acres? Please contact us to discuss delivery and larger order options.

Ongoing soil condition and grazing pressure will determine the character and success of the sward.

Meadow type grasslands are typically not cut or grazed from spring through to late July or August, allowing plants to flower and set seed. While this mix contains perennial species that do not rely on reseeding every year, allowing some seed return reduces the need for future overseeding.

Where possible, rotate grazing and consider fully resting fields between late March and early August at least once every three years, checking that seed has dropped before grazing resumes. This is optional, but it significantly improves long term sward persistence.

If you would like to learn more about supporting soil condition and pasture function, you can enrol in our soil course.

Why biodiversity matters

Healthy horse pasture depends on more than grass.

A botanically diverse sward supports healthier soil, a wider range of beneficial insects, greater forage choice and improved resilience to grazing pressure and weather extremes.

Rather than continually correcting problems as they arise, increasing plant diversity helps create pasture systems that function more effectively over the long term.

If you would like to understand why sward biodiversity matters, how diversity affects equine metabolic risk, and how to design grazing systems that reduce long term inputs, our educational courses explore pasture, soil, and horse welfare as connected systems.

They are designed to help you make decisions that fit your land, horses, and constraints, without enforcing rigid rules that don’t work in real world situations. 

You can explore our educational webinars and courses here. 

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Can I overseed existing pasture with this mix?

Yes. The Biodiverse Grazing Mix can be used for both new pasture establishment and overseeding existing grazing, although sowing rates differ depending on your goal and current pasture condition.

Is this suitable for horses prone to laminitis?

The mix has been designed with horse welfare in mind and contains carefully selected grass, herb and wildflower species. However, no pasture is suitable for every horse in every situation. Laminitis risk depends on the whole grazing system, including stocking density, grazing management, weather conditions and the individual horse. For more information on this topic, watch the recorded webinar, Designing and managing pastures for good doers.

Why does this mix contain 20% herbs and wildflowers?

Research on species-rich grasslands shows that diverse plant communities can support healthier soils, improve pasture resilience and provide greater forage choice. 20% to 60% non-grass species are common in functioning semi-natural grasslands and help create a more balanced grazing system.

Can I use this on clay soils?

Yes. Many of the species have deep or fibrous root systems that help improve soil structure over time. Success will still depend on drainage, grazing pressure and overall soil condition. To learn more, explore our soil course for equestrians

How long before I can graze it?

This depends on weather, growth and rooting. Grazing should only begin once plants are well established and cannot be easily pulled from the soil.