[Arid_gardener] Question from Home-Hort WWW page

[dr_owan at yahoo.com]

DMR
85242
dr_owan at yahoo.com

I live on an acre of irrigated farm land in Queen Creek,Az. On approximately 2/3 of an acre I maintain a permanent pasture for 2 horses. It consists of giant bermuda grass, which in the winter, I disc up and overseed with a winter pasture mix of barley,oats,wheat,& rye.Over the past few years,my pasture has increasingly been over-run with a very hearty weed(of which I don't have a name for)!I have tryed cutting it down low to the ground,prior to it going to seed,with a 'bush hog'.That seemed to only make it worse.The 'weed' has a very dense,hard core, of which it's long(6-10"), broad(1-2")leaves grow out of.When it goes to seed,it sprouts long(6-8")tassles out of the very center of the plant. I need to find a way to eradicate this weed permanently,once and for all! The catch is the safety & well=being of my horses! I have the means to confine them to their stalls for extended periods if necessary.This seems to be one of the worst years yet,due to the wet spring,& above average daytime temperatures, the weeds have grown out of control. The bermuda has yet to really kick-in,due to the cool nightime temperatures. If I use a broadleaf weed killer, how long before it's safe to return the horses to graze on the pasture? Please HELP!  Sincerely, DMR 04-20-07