Cow Parsley

As already stated, cow parsley looks a lot like hemlock, so when in doubt keep the horse away from it. I would rather deprive him a pleasure than poison him! Hemlock is a deadly poison to horses and humans (and probably everything else besides!). It is a powerful hallucinogen - in the old days "witches" would make it into a paste and smear it on their bodies to trip out!

The symptoms onset reasonably quickly in horses - small doses might have tremor, dilated pupils, collapse, drooling, ataxia etc, whilst larger doses result in respiratory arrest and death.
 
First pic is def hogweed (the normal kind, not the giant type) and I'm not familiar with the other one, and am too lazy to look in my botany books! :)
 
Brill thanks. Glad that I always thought cow parsley shouldn't be eaten by the horses and cleared it immediately from fields. It is rife here in Guernsey because it's everywhere..... I'll continue to remove it from the fields.
 
I have never known a horse that will not eat it.
Why it is a member of the parsnip and carrot family is about 1.metre high.
and is sweet to eat.

Warning it is high in nitrogen and for horses that have laminitus it will make the problem worse, so limit this?

Hogweed flowers in June and will grow 3 metres high and is on waist ground or in ditches
Rob
 
Cow Parsley is the one with FINE leaves, eat one yourself, it's sweet and fresh.

You have to study them carefully, thick broad leaf of the same/similar shape with a tighter head is less palatable and causes irritation. No cow or horse wioll eat it once tried and spat out.
 
Rob Lakeside said:
I have never known a horse that will not eat it.
Why it is a member of the parsnip and carrot family is about 1.metre high.
and is sweet to eat.

Warning it is high in nitrogen and for horses that have laminitus it will make the problem worse, so limit this?

Hogweed flowers in June and will grow 3 metres high and is on waist ground or in ditches
Rob
Click to expand...

Nitrogen won't hurt a laminitic, it breathes mostly nitrogen. But the sugar content surely will.

Treat it as chocolate, a treat if you will for those who are sensitive.
 
'gypsy' cow parsley?? What the hell is that?

Cow parsley is completely harmless ,in fact some say has helpful properties. I am unaware of useful properties, but horses love it.

It does look very much like hemlock, which comes out later in the year, which your friend may be confusing it with.
 
Nitrogen won't hurt a laminitic, it breathes mostly nitrogen. But the sugar content surely will.

Treat it as chocolate, a treat if you will for those who are sensitive.
__________________

Tactfully put!!
I agree a little is good, to much becomes a problem for some horses.
 
My old girl, who clearly thinks shes now of an age where she can get away with it, spent most of her hack out today trying to grab the stuff from the verges. Shes always loved it and has a very pink nose which has not been affected as far as I can tell by it. (like the idea it may have calming properties though, might allow her to pick a bit more!)
 
Kokopelli said:
Does anyone knows what happens if they ingest hemlock?
Is the reaction quick or is it long term damage and what damage is done?

:)
Click to expand...

We had a pony who ate water dropwort hemlock in the evening and was dead by lunchtime :( The most horrific death I have ever witnessed and never want to see again. Other ponies who had only had the tops survived but only just.

Please everyone - be aware of Hemlock growing in water ways. It is also known as "dead man's fingers" because the roots look like fingers and are deadly
 
Hemlock is seen growing on waste land,and all along our motorways,it is taller than any cow parsley and the givaway are the purple spotting on the lower stem. It can produce blisters if handled;the poison it contains has effect starting with tingling and numbing of the extremities,gradually continueing until it numbs the heart muscle.The brain remains active till the last,it takes quite a while to kill, 24 hours I believe.
Amazing then is`nt it that such a lethal plant is so common in this country and largly unreckonised as such.There was a case last year of a guy who served it chopped into a salad to his mother in law,she died.
 
I never had any problems with it and pulled it for my horse by the armfull. He loved it and showed no signs of any reaction to it. Don't ever remember any problems with my skin either.
 
Cow Parsley is fine! Stop scare mongering - as long as it is properly identified it is PERFECTLY FINE and I have recommended it in my books and fed it all my life to horses! Everything in moderation as they say of course!
I gather many plants from the hedgerow to enhance my horses' diet.
 
Erm scaremongering?? Where? It was me who said it burnt but I quite clearly on this thread have mistaken hogweed for cow parsley and have been thankful to posters for putting me straight. You learn new things everyday and have even passed this message on to my friends who have also mistakenly hogweed for cow parsley. No harm done (well maybe to the horses who may have missed out on yummy good for them cow parsley as I've always avoided it like the plague!)
 
JoBird said:
Cow Parsley is fine! Stop scare mongering - as long as it is properly identified it is PERFECTLY FINE and I have recommended it in my books and fed it all my life to horses! Everything in moderation as they say of course!
I gather many plants from the hedgerow to enhance my horses' diet.
Click to expand...

...being the caveat, and this thread has helped do just that.
 
Cow parsley leaves look a lot more finer..like wild fern leaves. My horse would grab it out hacking as its the right height! Its flourishing in Herts now! I also have Hemlock in my horses field for years and he has so far never bothered with it at the edges?? It has a really fat leaf on it but agree the flower is very similar and could be confused but the leaf it much more broader. I do sometimes spot spray it to keep it under control(the weed not the horse)!
 
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