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I am thinking of purchasing 2.5 acres that is in alfalfa and grass, about 1/2 
and 1/2 all mixed together.  Has anyone out there pastured horses on pasture 
with that much alfalfa?  The guy who owns it turns his horses out on it in the 
winter after last cutting, but he's an old cowboy, and he has paints and 
quarter horses.  I have an Arab, an Anglo-Arab and a 2yr old mule.  

I'm also thinking about spraying it with a broadleaf killer to kill off the 
alfalfa, then broadcast grass seed over it to fill in the dead spots, if any.  
How long do you have to keep horses off it if you do something like that?  The 
guy will be doing one more cutting of hay off it, and I figured the perfect 
time to kill the alfalfa would be right after that.  

The only reason I'm thinking of buying the land is that it's fenced, has the 
irrigation system in, and the guy will carry a contract on it for little more 
than I'm paying for board now.  The downside is, after 11+ years of boarding, 
I would be totally responsible for ALL my horses' care and feeding.  Right now 
if I don't go out for a couple days, I know they'll still get fed, and 
someone will at least glance at them enough to notice if they're three legged 
lame.

I could eventually fix up my house in town and put something out there to 
live in.  I figure about 3-5 years.  Does anyone have experience with a 
scenario 
like this that could tell me where the holes in my thinking (not my head--I 
know about those) are?
Any help appreciated.  jeri

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