The area of grassland on which a horse is kept may form up to 100% of its daily environment, and provide up to 100% of its nutrition and 100% facility for its exercise. The aim of this new book is to promote better understanding of the principles of managing land for horses. Grassland is here considered as an important agricultural crop, forage source, and amenity and leisure resource. An introduction to the spatial distribution, grassland species and their recognition and growth patterns is applied to the specific needs of the horse enterprise.

There has been extensive research and development in forage science since the publication of Gillian McCarthy's successful book Pasture Management for Horses and Ponies in 1987. Here is an up-to-date informative handbook for the private horseowner, a management aid for the professional horse manager and a textbook for students.