Bushes?

JBM

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Anyone else horse eat bushes? Does anyone know why ? Barry won’t but Judy does
They have lots and lots of grass!
 

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That does like a laurel hedge, and as the above poster stated, laurel (except bay laurel) is toxic.

https://www.hedgesdirect.co.uk/acatalog/laurel-hedge-guide.html

Is Laurel Hedging Poisonous?
We're no strangers to being asked if certain Laurel hedging and trees are poisonous to household pets or humans (particularly small children). ALL parts (leaves, berries etc.) of all Laurels, apart from Bay Laurel, are poisonous to livestock and animals. We have had no reports of children or pets being affected by the foliage of these hedging plants; in our experience they hold no real attraction, however it is best to avoid planting next to livestock. If you are concerned about your pets and children we’d recommend choosing Bay Laurel or looking at alternative hedge plants some of which are suggested below.
 
She seems to eat more of the brown leaved tree to be honest
They’re moving field tomorrow so shouldn’t be an issue hopefully then
 
Horses are designed to eat a variety of plants, that's why. That's how, in a natural environment, they make sure to get enough of different nutrients. Wild equids have access to vastly more plant species than your average domestic in a rye grass field.

Why domestic horses differ in what they choose to forage on is up for interpretation. It could be an act of zoopharmacognosy (though I very much doubt there's any medicinal benefit in laurel), and that she has a mineral imbalance he doesn't; could be that she grew up in a paddock with more variation in the plant species whereas he hasn't, so he's not interested in experimenting; could be that she's developed a taste for it and so on.
 
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Most of mine enjoy browsing the hedges and they sometimes get a taste for things they shouldn't eat really, i have one that likes oaks and my 2yo was keen on the bracken last year. We have a good variety of stuff to chomp on but i do try and steer them away from the things that aren't good for them.
 
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I went to a lecture the other day on Passive Therapy. Browsing (eating from hedges and trees) was discussed and noted as quite natural and good for their posture in general. Obviuosly not good to eat from poisonous bushes or trees though.
 
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She seems to eat more of the brown leaved tree to be honest
They’re moving field tomorrow so shouldn’t be an issue hopefully then
The brown leaved tree looks like a copper beech.
ive not checked but I would suspect beech is ok. Agree that the laurel is a no-no and they should be fenced back from it.
Mine like a good nibble, they love hawthorn (will chew the bark too).
 
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Horses are designed to eat more than grass. I think I read that at least 10% of their fibrous intake should come from trees / shrubs etc (I'd have to go googling to check) but we've tended to cut them off from access.

Mine will happily eat birch, beech, willow, hawthorn, blackthorn, horse chestnut, field maple and hornbeam. I have all of those around the field and apart from the blackthorn they are very neatly pruned by the horses. Laurel is poisonous but I was trying to expand your photo to see if your horses was eating it or something growing through it and it might be the latter. Those waxy leaves are hugely attractive but some horses get a taste for things they shouldn't

I personally would fence off laurel.
 
Mine loves blackberries too - he’s given me a couple of nasty moments when I’ve gone to the field to find splashes of blackberry juice on him - from a distance it looked like blood (he’s a very accident-prone light grey)
 
Horses are designed to eat more than grass. I think I read that at least 10% of their fibrous intake should come from trees / shrubs etc (I'd have to go googling to check) but we've tended to cut them off from access.

Mine will happily eat birch, beech, willow, hawthorn, blackthorn, horse chestnut, field maple and hornbeam. I have all of those around the field and apart from the blackthorn they are very neatly pruned by the horses. Laurel is poisonous but I was trying to expand your photo to see if your horses was eating it or something growing through it and it might be the latter. Those waxy leaves are hugely attractive but some horses get a taste for things they shouldn't

I personally would fence off laurel.
There’s a good lot of everything in those bushes to be fair ? I’m moving them out of that field tomorrow so should be no problems but I don’t think they would eat it as they have been in that field a long time..but I’ll fence it off if I put them back in there (which is probable as that field has a run in shed)
 
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