best horse friendly trees to plant

paddi22

paddi22

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we are buying a bit of land and i'm hoping to plant some trees in part of it to give a bit of variety to the field for the horses, and also provide natural shade etc. what kind of trees would people recommend? field is beside one that is farmed, so can't have anything that will overhang or grow too wide and cause issues with machinery next door etc.

Would liek something that looks nice, grows to a nice size and isn't poisionous etc! any recommendations appreciated!
 
whitebeam or hornbeam were what I planted - they grow not overlarge and don't drop seeds or sap

ash would be another choice but the ash die-back fungus would make me wary of planting those for the time being
 
Whitebeam/hornbeam DO drop seeds - they're in the berries - but they are beautiful.

I'd go for beech . . . while they grow quite tall, their nuts tend to be grabbed by the squirrels before they drop (or you, if you're quick - they're lovely) and they're not poisonous to horses. Ditto sweet chestnuts - no issue for horses, just a wee bit fattening - and they have decent-sized leaves so provide proper shelter (unlike members of the rowan family, including white and hornbeam).

One lovely thing about whitebeam, though, is the lovely flash of white you get when the wind catches the leaves and shows the undersides :).

P
 
Ash might grow too big & wide for the farmland. Willow is good or rowan is smaller & attractive. Hazel - you will get nuts eventually. Silver birch is pretty.
Avoid sycamore or oak.
 
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