HELP! WEEDY pasture! (or Pasture Management ?)

I live in NE FL, just outside of Jacksonville. I have a pasture just under 2 acres in size, and more than half of it is weeds. Tall weeds. I'm wondering what the best course of action is rather than going out there and pulling thousands of weeds. I need to get rid of these weeds so I can put down some seed for better grass, but don't know how to go about doing so. I only have 1 horse. Here's a picture from my bedroom window. Not the greatest, but it can give you an idea of what I'm up against. Oh, and I'm just renting so I don't want to put too much money into long-term solutions for property hat isn't ours.

best option would be a tractor with a brush mower. Some places rent them (or just the deck if you have access to a tractor) or talk to farmers around you. That crap will crowd out all your grass. Second option is spray the weeds. 2 acres shouldn't be too bad, you could spot spray them all in a day, easy. Option 3 is put something else on the land. My horse pasture looks like that too but the pasture with the heifers on it looks way cleaner, they chew down alot of that stuff that horses won't mess with. Same goes for sheep or goats if your fences are good enough. Good luck!!

Option 1: get a goat, just one or two no more or you will have issues with them eating the grass also. This option takes a little longer and then you have a goat to deal with.
Option 2: go to the local feed store/farmer and find out where the local fertilizer store is and get them to help you. They can give you something to spray or spread to help kill the weeds, and not hurt your horses. Also you can get with the extention office and see what they recommend to use.
Mowing will help, but the weed will come back. You probably need to fertilize to get the grass growing also.

Thanks y'all. We actually have a goat...but she won't eat the weeds. I got her for our daughter, and cut her back to a handful of grain am/pm (she will be used as a milk goat next year, she's 7 mo. Old right now, so I am trying to make sure she gets proper nutrition for her own growth to ensure a healthy milk goat) and she still won't touch the weeds. Oh, she'll eat the nails when we were putting up the stalls, or chew on my hoof picks...or the horse blanket...but she won't eat the weeds. Grrrr...

I would suggest you find your local cooperative extension and ask them for advice that is specific to your area. They will know where you can get your soil tested and what you will need to do to it to encourage the right things to grow.

We turned a nasty pasture to a pretty nice one - but it took a couple of years. We kept it mowed - which helped control the weeds - and fertilized and overseeded it with a good pasture mix. We used a pasture drill for the seed and fertilizer. You could probably get by with just a lawn tractor and a small offset disk - you may even be able to rent both of them.

Our pasture is now overgrown with trees and brush since hubby had a stroke several years ago - but we are going to clear out the crap this winter and have the pasture ready for seeding again this spring. The horses won't like being penned up and forced to eat hay while just the other side of the fence is nice young, tender green grass, but after a couple of months, they can start grazing it. (and we can seed and fertilize the pens!)

This would be my suggestion and regular mowing and you may need to spray to kill the weeds.

Definitely address the regrowth from a soil perspective. Weeds are nothing more than a symptom of poor soil or improper ph balance. As other said, your local co-op will be able to help you.

I agree with the brush chopping, reseeding, etc ... but I would keep away from sprays if the horses are on it, and steer clear of goats. Blegh. They'll chew the horses' tails if they get too bored.

Mow it. Get a riding lawn mower, or borrow one. Leave the deck all the way up, then mow the whole field. Next, lower the deck, but have it on a high-ish setting and mow it again. Then, find someone with a tractor and have it disked, or one of those tiller things.

Or, find one of those "rent a goat" people and rent 10 goats. They'll have the whole place cleared in less than a week, and they're cute as heck . As long as they have plenty to eat, they won't mess with the horses or their hay. They will try to steal grain if you feed your horses in the pasture.