The vegetation in paddocks located within seminatural grasslands in the altitudinal range 200 to 400 masl in Muy Muy, Nicaragua, was studied. The objectives were to describe the herbaceous floristic composition and to study its variation under two different landscape positions (floodplain and mid-range highlands), two moments in the year (dry and rainy seasons) and two types of grazing management (dairy cows and beef stock). Other factors potentially important for the vegetation were also assessed: paddock area, flooding, stocking rate, presence of watering place, annual occupation days, tree cover. Grassland composition, diversity and richness were most strongly related to soil conditions, than the grazing management of the paddock and seasonality. The grazing regime was related to the composition of the highland paddocks, but its effect was less than that of other factors such as the percentage of flooded area, number of times of weeding per year, seasonality and stocking rate. Differences between the two grazing regimens can also be attributed to the presence of shortlived species in the rainy season in the paddocks grazed by other stock, generally considered an indicator of overgrazing.