SubscribeGift a Sub
Enable cache 100
Stable Management

Managing Buttercups in Horse Pastures

When you’re out driving through the countryside in the spring, a pasture full of yellow buttercups can be a lovely sight. When that field is your horse’s pasture, however, all those yellow buttercups can be a stress-inducing vision to behold.



Buttercups are toxic to horses and other livestock species. Fortunately, horses generally have no interest in grazing on them when other food is available, and they are adept at eating around them. But because they survive your horse’s teeth when everything else around gets grazed down, they can thrive and spread and before you know it, they seem to be the only vegetation left in the field.

Buttercup Management Practices for Horse Pastures



The best way to control buttercups is to think ahead and start managing your horse pastures months before buttercups appear and bloom in the spring season. Buttercups can take hold in bare spots in the field. Seeding your pastures, particularly those bare spots, with a variety of grass that thrives in your area, is the best ways to keep buttercups and other undesirable weeds at bay.


Also Read: Leading the Way to Greener Pastures


Overgrazing is the root cause of the buttercup problem for many horse farms. Before the grass gets grazed down to the ground, move your horses to a different field or use temporary fencing such as electric tape to section off rotating parts of the pasture to let the grass recover.

According to University of Maryland Extension, buttercup seeds germinate in late fall, so by keeping the grass in your pastures healthy throughout the summer, you’ll likely have less of a buttercup problem next year.

Keeping fields mowed won’t eliminate buttercups. However, mowing your pasture early in the buttercup bloom can help prevent them from spreading by reducing the amount of new seed produced.

Chemical Control

There are herbicides that can be used to get rid of buttercups in horse pastures. The ideal time to spray them is in early spring, before the buttercup bloom but after the average daytime temperature has reached 60 degrees. University of Maryland Extension offers some examples of commercial herbicides that are effective against buttercups: Banvel, Clarity, Crossbow, Forefront, Milestone, and Surmount. However, many of these products will kill legumes, such as clover, which means you may be sacrificing some of the good grazing along with the bad.



Also Read: How to Revitalize Drought-Stricken Pastures


Always check labeling to make sure you understand how the herbicide you’re using will affect grazing or haying. Consult your local extension office for additional guidance on what the best management practices are for your geographic area.

Key Takeaways

From this article, you should now understand how to get rid of and manage yellow buttercups in horse pastures.

This article about management of buttercups in horse pastures originally appeared in Horse Illustrated magazine. Click here to subscribe!

Leslie Potter

Leslie Potter is a graduate of William Woods University where she earned a Bachelor of Science in Equestrian Science with a concentration in saddle seat riding and a minor in Journalism/Mass Communications. She is currently a writer and photographer in Lexington, Ky.Potter worked as a barn manager and riding instructor and was a freelance reporter and photographer for the Horsemen's Yankee Pedlar and Saddle Horse Report before moving to Lexington to join Horse Illustrated as Web Editor from 2008 to 2019. Her current equestrian pursuits include being a grown-up lesson kid at an eventing barn and trail riding with her senior Morgan gelding, Snoopy.

Recent Posts

Winter Horse Pasture Management 101

Depending on whether you and your horses live in Maine, Kentucky, Montana, or California, winter in each area manifests itself…

24 hours ago

DIY Horsey Christmas Gifts and Decor

Looking for some DIY horsey Christmas crafts to use as gifts or holiday decor? We have you covered! Every year,…

3 days ago

Winter Fitness Tips for Equestrians

These three winter fitness tips for equestrians will help keep your body strong and limber even when the weather may…

6 days ago

ASPCA Right Horse Adoptable Horse of the Week: Flag Bearer

Welcome to Horse Illustrated’s weekly installment of the Right Horse Adoptable Horse of the Week, offered in partnership with the…

7 days ago

The Magic of the Lebanon Horse-Drawn Carriage Parade & Christmas Festival

Much like Dr. Seuss’s fictional town of Whoville, the small city of Lebanon, Ohio, magically transforms into a holiday wonderland…

1 week ago

Barn Banter – Episode 26

Welcome to Barn Banter, the official podcast of Horse Illustrated. In Barn Banter episode 26, hosts Susan Friedland and Horse Illustrated…

1 week ago