I would sow the seeds and then spread the mulch.

I don't know about growing in your neck of the woods, but I'd guess that if you spread horse manure you'll get some cover with it, especially if the manure wasn't composted much. Spread the manure and then drag those chains thru it.

I don’t have any useful recommendations. I’m sorry.

But thank you for starting this discussion. So much of what gets discussed here is fluff. This is a meaty, interesting topic.

Alfalfa?

Cheap is a relative term, but since you already have a tractor I would consider it cheap and easy to convert this to a small pasture. Here is the procedure.

Get and mount a small breaking plow to the 3-point point hitch on the back of your tractor. A new imported one about $200.00 places like Tractor Supply Co..Used ones usually less than half that. They used to sell them used in newspaper classifieds under used farm equipment but nowadays I guess you would look places like Craig's List.

Crisscross back and forth across a section you want to start on, adjusting the plow to cut as deep as the tractor will handle. You want to uproot brush and shrubs so they can be piled up out of the way and won't keep growing back. This will also kill most of the noxious weeds. Once Mesquites reach a certain size they're difficult to impossible to remove with light equipment. You can wrap a wire choker around them and try to yank them out of the ground with your tractor. If you cant get the stump out of the ground you'll have to keep cutting them back to the ground every time they resprout until they finally give up the ghost and die.

Ideally, after this you would go over this several times during the winter with a small disc harrow -about $300.00 new- to break up the clods, kill weeds, and level it. Do this when the soil is moist enough to crumble but not wet.

Here in arid South Texas we're pretty much limited to seeding with Coastal Bermuda but you probably have more or better options in the central part of the state where rainfall is much higher. I would call your county extension agent to see what he recommends and the right time to sow it at your location.

You can make a good seeder by drilling holes in the bottom of one of those plastic canisters that coffee comes in so that it works like a salt shaker as you walk along shaking and swinging it so the seeds are evenly distributed. 3/32" bit works for Bermuda but you may have to adjust for others.

Good Luck!

Be aware that bringing in badly composted compost can actually spread invasivse. I have introduced natives onto my land by using badly composted city compost and mulch. When you use it on acreage you might be creating a big problem.

A thought : Drive around through a few surrounding miles, looking for applicable equipment (incl newer /bigger tractor if nec) on properties that appear to have low activity, offer to pay owners either to work some /all of your land, or for your use of the equipment.

I use slash that I trim off of the brush and use it to hold water and keep the animals from getting at the young plants. I will throw seeds down on raked land and put the chopped up slash on top. Wire cages also work. II don't know what plants make horses sick except for Johnson Grass. That is a big no-no It causes horses to not be able to swallow.

Plant patches of native grasses and let them spread. I really don't know about horses and the trampling that their hooves give . I have heard that Holistic land management has some interesting ideas about crotating containment patterns but I don't know how one would translate that to 2 acres.

The horses would probably do more to kill the cover crop than the other way around. For free advice contact your local USDA NRCS. (Natural Resources Conservation Service). They would know what would do well locally and probably know more about actual pasture planting than the county agent. You might even get them to do a site visit on your place. Not to knock county agents but they are more spread out with their knowledge. NRCS concentrates more on the environment without having to worry about contest and shows.

As far as cover crop a combination of clover and ryegrass would probably do well. Again, get local advice on what type of clover does well in your area. May sure and get one that does not cause bloating.

Rocky ground will only produce so much. One thing you could do would be pen up the horses for most of the day, and let they graze one hour in the morning and one hour in the evening. That way they will not destroy the vegetation standing and running around. Horses usually destroy more grass than they eat. Rotation might work but you usually need 3 or 4 pastures to make a difference.

According to what type of grass you have, adding nitrogen can increase the amount of vegetation. Introduced grasses such as bermuda grass, kleingrass, and WW bDahl respond well to nitrogen. In some areas of central Texas it can take up to 30 acres of range land to produce enough grass per animal unit (cow or horse). Pastures you can get down to 2 or 3 acres with good management.

Your county agent will also have a lot of advise. They might even have a naturalist program. Maybe not in this time of Covid.