Feeding Oily Herbs - pros and cons

BMA2 said:
Sorry to revive an old thread...but I kinda didn't think was too old.

Would D&H Hedgerow Herbs suffice re Oilt Herbs...or in people's opinion are they lacking.

Quite curious about all of this...

Thank you
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It's a good thread!
D & H Hedgerow has thyme & oregano in it, along with nettle, rosehip, mint, red clover & dandelion in, according to their blurb. However it's £18 for a kilo which is more expensive than the oily herbs, but it has some extras, but is missing the rosemary.
 
I make my own but I also have a variety of other herbs around too. Marigold & cleavers for the feathery ones for instance.

Camomile sprinkled over feeds with a bit of warm water on a cold morning gets me gold stars all round.
 
I can't find the article I used but feeding rates were 50g-75g for the horses in the trial.

It is a lot more than you think, 2-3 50g sized scoops for me.
 
A few really dumb questions!
Is it dried herbs that people are feeding? Like the supermarket ones?
If so, would fresh herbs straight from the garden work just as well?
Has anyone dried their own herbs and used them?

Sorry, I'm a bit dim about this stuff 😂
 
Fresh herbs are great! I only feed dried herbs (just like the ones you get in little jars in the supermarket) because I don’t grow them at home. When seasonly available I’ll pull and feed fresh hedgerow herbs such as cleavers and nettles.
 
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I don't feed woody herbs fresh (rosemary/oregano/thyme) because they are stronger and I'm not sure about my horse eating them but rosehips, mint, nettles, thistles and cleavers I do.
 
peanutsmumma said:
Are oregano, thyme and rosemary the main ones to feed? Any others to add in?
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The work in the hut gut suggest 30 different plant based foods a week is ideal.
I know horses have different digestive system, but the only research is on humans, so I have quite a range of herbs etc (rose hip, marigold, mint, turmeric, bosweilla, etc) and feed slightly different mixture every day!
 
shanti said:
A few really dumb questions!
Is it dried herbs that people are feeding? Like the supermarket ones?
If so, would fresh herbs straight from the garden work just as well?
Has anyone dried their own herbs and used them?

Sorry, I'm a bit dim about this stuff 😂
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Yes you can dry them but you need tons of it as it dries to nothing and a massive faff.
 
Dave's Mam said:
It's a good thread!
D & H Hedgerow has thyme & oregano in it, along with nettle, rosehip, mint, red clover & dandelion in, according to their blurb. However it's £18 for a kilo which is more expensive than the oily herbs, but it has some extras, but is missing the rosemary.
Click to expand...

I feed the three oily herbs all year round, bought in bulk from food shop. https://www.buywholefoodsonline.co.uk/ 2 x 60ml a day. 1kg of each lasts a couple of months, and I buy 6kg at a time. Works out at three orders a year, and about 7.50 pounds a month.

I buy one D & H Hedgerow herbs for horses 5kg for 45 pounds each winter and feed that as well over winter when grass is less a part of the diet. 5kg lasts me all winter fed at about 30gms / 50ml a day.

Composition guide here - https://www.dodsonandhorrell.com/storage/DH-Equine-HS-Daily_Hedgerow-Herbs.pdf

Nettle, Mint, Dandelion, Thyme, Rosehips, Oregano, Red Clover Heads

I think have to list ingredients, largest first legally, so would assume the majority is Nettle, Mint & Dandelion so I not duplicating too much.
 
I fed it for most of the last 12 months. There could be no link at all, but one of Bon's sarcoids has sort of mostly disappeared while on it (no change previously on sarc - ex)
I'm about to try doing my own mix to save money a bit but it is a convenient way of doing things for sure
 
expanding_horizon said:
I feed the three oily herbs all year round, bought in bulk from food shop. https://www.buywholefoodsonline.co.uk/ 2 x 60ml a day. 1kg of each lasts a couple of months, and I buy 6kg at a time. Works out at three orders a year, and about 7.50 pounds a month.

I buy one D & H Hedgerow herbs for horses 5kg for 45 pounds each winter and feed that as well over winter when grass is less a part of the diet. 5kg lasts me all winter fed at about 30gms / 50ml a day.

Composition guide here - https://www.dodsonandhorrell.com/storage/DH-Equine-HS-Daily_Hedgerow-Herbs.pdf

Nettle, Mint, Dandelion, Thyme, Rosehips, Oregano, Red Clover Heads

I think have to list ingredients, largest first legally, so would assume the majority is Nettle, Mint & Dandelion so I not duplicating too much.
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That website has nettle, rosehips, dandelion, red clover, peppermint and hawthorn berries all in the tea section, so you could make up a D&H batch to your own tastes, though it costs a (very) little more. Might be less dusty as it's human grade.
 
Surbie said:
That website has nettle, rosehips, dandelion, red clover, peppermint and hawthorn berries all in the tea section, so you could make up a D&H batch to your own tastes, though it costs a (very) little more. Might be less dusty as it's human grade.
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Interesting when I looked 5kg of tea grade looked quite a lot more than £45.
 
Roxylola said:
I fed it for most of the last 12 months. There could be no link at all, but one of Bon's sarcoids has sort of mostly disappeared while on it (no change previously on sarc - ex)
I'm about to try doing my own mix to save money a bit but it is a convenient way of doing things for sure
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This is my experience as well. 2 very stubborn ones are nearly gone completely. The rest (and there were several) disappeared rather quickly once on the herbs
 
Is that with the oregano thyme and rosemary...

I just find stuff like this quite fascinating (without wanting to sound weird)
 
BMA2 said:
And updates from the folk that ordered the herbs? Can you see a difference?
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Well I went all out with the herbs. I even did an online equine herbal nutrition course 😂 But I am seeing a huge difference in both heath and general demeanor. I am shocked at the change, I didn't expect it to be so dramatic if I'm honest.

I have removed almost all of their previous feed (only left microbeet and chaff)
I buy all the herbs in bulk and make my own blends specific to each horse.
It does cost slightly more than before but it's definitely worth it for me.
 
shanti said:
Well I went all out with the herbs. I even did an online equine herbal nutrition course 😂 But I am seeing a huge difference in both heath and general demeanor. I am shocked at the change, I didn't expect it to be so dramatic if I'm honest.

I have removed almost all of their previous feed (only left microbeet and chaff)
I buy all the herbs in bulk and make my own blends specific to each horse.
It does cost slightly more than before but it's definitely worth it for me.
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And what herbs are you using?
 
BMA2 said:
And what herbs are you using?
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Daily they get Rosemary, thyme and oregano plus Aloe vera juice, ground Linseed, Sunflower seed and salt.

3x a week a blend of - Chamomile, Clivers, seaweed, Rosehip, Fenugreek and Chia seed.
I make separate blends for each horse, for example, the fat Arab doesn't get Chia but has extra Rosehip for his Arthritis.
 
I think herbs and gut biome balance are going to turn out to be huge in equine (and human) health.

I can see the possibility of strong links between the reduction in feeding hay made from old pasture land and from grazing on large fields with old pasture and an apparent explosion in EMS, laminitis, early Cushings, equine asthma, young arthritis, ulcers ..... basically everything with any connection to stress and inflammation.

I swear that when old meadow hay was all you could buy and turnout had plenty of species of plant in it, we had far fewer problems with horses than we do now.
.
 
I agree
When you think that the ancestors of horses were browsers, and that a lot of horses now live on sprayed paddocks, single variety hay and bagged feed, it's not surprising if things have gone wrong

It's interesting to see what horses will eat when given a choice; one of mine was mad for sweet chestnut leaves for a bit, then he went off them and ash leaves were the best thing ever
I've no idea if it was the taste or something in them he felt he needed
 
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