Fruitcake
Well-Known Member
I like the idea of adding herbs to my horses’ feeds, but I’m not sure where to start. I’ve seen some ready-made mixes. Are there any herbs I should be looking for to be included or is making my own an option?
Herbal mixes or DIY versions?
- Thread starter Fruitcake
- Start date
SEL
Well-Known Member
Making your own is an option but worth reading on websites like Equinatural and seeing what they use for different issues. Equibiome Facebook page has some interesting articles too
Fruitcake
Well-Known Member
Thanks. I’ll have a look at those.
Tiddlypom
Carries on creakily
A good start, and recommended by Equibiome, is to add oily herbs. I make up a mix of 500g each of dried thyme, oregano and rosemary, and then feed 50ml twice daily.
Additionally I make another mix based on Feedmark's No Fill supplement, containing dried hawthorn, dandelion, cleavers, marigold, nettle and spearmint, and they get 150 ml of that twice daily.
The general idea is that a broad variety of edible herbs in the diet helps to keep the hind gut biome healthy.
Additionally I make another mix based on Feedmark's No Fill supplement, containing dried hawthorn, dandelion, cleavers, marigold, nettle and spearmint, and they get 150 ml of that twice daily.
The general idea is that a broad variety of edible herbs in the diet helps to keep the hind gut biome healthy.
ozpoz
Well-Known Member
I feed agrobs mash for the variety of herbs and grasses in it.
Zuzan
Well-Known Member
In autumn / winter I have found D&H hedgerow herbs good.. it's easy to get hold of smells lovely... has the oily herbs
In spring, I pick clivers, dandelion leaves, nettles, hawthorn shoots
Summer I pick raspberry shoots
I do in hand gazing too .. things like hogweed and gorse are hot favourites.
In spring, I pick clivers, dandelion leaves, nettles, hawthorn shoots
Summer I pick raspberry shoots
I do in hand gazing too .. things like hogweed and gorse are hot favourites.
PurBee
Well-Known Member
You could find a lot growing in hedgerows. It’s nice to add some fresh every once in a while.
Mine are currently loving eating the baby thistle hearts growing on the side of the track - they go for the middle juiciest bit with their teeth bared, lips curled back to avoid the spikes of the larger outer leaves…i love watching their impressive technique with thistles ?
You can get ‘herb mix‘ seed packs designed (for over-seeding) on horse paddocks. Best done after winter grazing, when ground is bare-ish, sprinkle and roll around march time. They often contain purslane, plantain, dandelion, sainfoin etc.
If you have any shady moist areas in your garden, sprinkle a pack of curly parsley seeds, rake them in and, although slow to start growing, they grow continuously through winter…full of minerals…my horses adore the parsley i grow. You can get ‘italian giant flat leaf parsley’ too, which is very leafy and faster growing, which tastes the same as curly, equally nutritious.
Blackberry leaves are a firm favourite and nutritious, despite the wee little spikes underneath the leaves, my horses consume the branch too! They really love the baby leaves and spring shoots.
Dandelions are growing like mad right now so excellent source of calcium and other minerals.
Be aware, some of the larger leafier hedgerow herbs can be over 10% carbs, plantain for one, possibly dandelion, so having loads at once could potentially affect a EMS horse, but the odd handful here and there wouldnt normally be an issue.
Oftentimes, the hedgerows provide gluts of herbs throughout the season, and its tempting to fill their feedbowl with a kilo and feed fresh, so just be mindful of giving something completely new to them in small amounts first. Hang up bunches of excess to dry and slow feed if there is huge amounts.
Mine are currently loving eating the baby thistle hearts growing on the side of the track - they go for the middle juiciest bit with their teeth bared, lips curled back to avoid the spikes of the larger outer leaves…i love watching their impressive technique with thistles ?
You can get ‘herb mix‘ seed packs designed (for over-seeding) on horse paddocks. Best done after winter grazing, when ground is bare-ish, sprinkle and roll around march time. They often contain purslane, plantain, dandelion, sainfoin etc.
If you have any shady moist areas in your garden, sprinkle a pack of curly parsley seeds, rake them in and, although slow to start growing, they grow continuously through winter…full of minerals…my horses adore the parsley i grow. You can get ‘italian giant flat leaf parsley’ too, which is very leafy and faster growing, which tastes the same as curly, equally nutritious.
Blackberry leaves are a firm favourite and nutritious, despite the wee little spikes underneath the leaves, my horses consume the branch too! They really love the baby leaves and spring shoots.
Dandelions are growing like mad right now so excellent source of calcium and other minerals.
Be aware, some of the larger leafier hedgerow herbs can be over 10% carbs, plantain for one, possibly dandelion, so having loads at once could potentially affect a EMS horse, but the odd handful here and there wouldnt normally be an issue.
Oftentimes, the hedgerows provide gluts of herbs throughout the season, and its tempting to fill their feedbowl with a kilo and feed fresh, so just be mindful of giving something completely new to them in small amounts first. Hang up bunches of excess to dry and slow feed if there is huge amounts.
Spotherisk
Well-Known Member
Equus Winter glow summer shine is wonderful stuff. I’ve been feeding it for years - even in the depths of winter my horses coat looks soft and shiny.
Fruitcake
Well-Known Member
Thanks for all the info. I’m now working out a recipe! I’ve researched the recommended daily amounts for each herb (I’m thinking oregano, thyme, rosemary, rosehips, nettles, dandelion leaves, hawthorn, mint and fenugreek seeds) and am now going to attempt to work out the appropriate ratio by volume as I’ll be using a scoop to dish it out.
Errin Paddywack
Well-Known Member
None of our horses have ever eaten hogweed, cowparsley/keck yes, but I thought hogweed wasn't very good for them.
spotty_pony
...
Hogweed burns their mouths and causes blisters.
Zuzan
Well-Known Member
I read that about Hogweed years ago.. But have never seen evidence of burns or photo sensitivity. .. I know foragers who use the shoots like spring greens.
cauda equina
Well-Known Member
Giant hogweed causes blisters but I'm not sure that ordinary hogweed does
Mine eat it greedily and have never suffered
Mine eat it greedily and have never suffered
maddielove
Well-Known Member
Feedmark have the option to mix your own bespoke supplement and offer a whole bunch of herbs to choose from which might be worth a look, very cosy effective too.
Tiddlypom
Carries on creakily
My homemade version of Feedmark No Fill costs 40% of the full (no discount) Feedmark price. Even when Feedmark have a 50% sale on, it's still cheaper to make up my own.
I do buy the dried hawthorn leaves from FM, though, as it is well chopped up with no sharp pieces, unless another supplier that I tried.
Lots of fresh cleavers growing in the hedgerow these parts, atm.
I do buy the dried hawthorn leaves from FM, though, as it is well chopped up with no sharp pieces, unless another supplier that I tried.
Lots of fresh cleavers growing in the hedgerow these parts, atm.
Regandal
Well-Known Member
I fancy making my own. Can you recommend any suppliers? The one I use on eBay currently has no oregano or thyme.
Tiddlypom
Carries on creakily
I buy variously from
https://www.buywholefoodsonline.co.uk/
and
https://www.horseherbs.co.uk/collec...hqzHmdi-NNEEip_nw0Yqp8Rqdz7suf40aAinhEALw_wcB
plus I keep an eye on Feedmark offers on their meadowblend herb range
.
https://www.buywholefoodsonline.co.uk/
and
https://www.horseherbs.co.uk/collec...hqzHmdi-NNEEip_nw0Yqp8Rqdz7suf40aAinhEALw_wcB
plus I keep an eye on Feedmark offers on their meadowblend herb range
.I'm Dun
Well-Known Member
I'm just about to order the oily herbs plus some meadow type herbs for mine after reading this. I already make my own mineral balancer, and he's been colicky so seems a good time to see if I can help his gut biome a bit. Have people noticed a difference when feeding the oily herbs?
TPO
Well-Known Member
Could anyone please offer an idiots guide/recipe with quantities for herb mixes? TIA ?
Tiddlypom
Carries on creakily
This is my winter version of my general herb mix - I feed it in addition to the oily herbs. I feed a 150 ml scoop twice daily, and it lasts 3 horses about a fortnight. In summer you can adjust the quantities according to what the horses can find in their grazing.
Hawthorn 500g
Dandelion leaves 500g
Cleavers 250g
Marigold 250g
Nettle 250g
Gingko 125g
Spearmint 125g
Finecut rosehips 125g
Hawthorn 500g
Dandelion leaves 500g
Cleavers 250g
Marigold 250g
Nettle 250g
Gingko 125g
Spearmint 125g
Finecut rosehips 125g
TPO
Well-Known Member
Tiddlypom
Carries on creakily
Missed this.
It is certainly worth a punt. An unbalanced hind gut biome can lead to colic. He has had sarcoids in the past, too, hasn't he? It can all be interlinked, and if the hind gut is off it can make the immune system less effective.
If you can self correct the hind gut biome by feeding a more varied diet including oily herbs, then the idea is that you (meaning a general *you*) may be able to ditch some or all of the expensive supplements that some horses seem to need - such as succeed or equishure. It's made a huge difference to my mare who is now off the succeed. Now got to see if she's going to continue be as prone to sarcoids, or whether she might be able to fight them off now. First indications are promising ?.
I'm Dun
Well-Known Member
Yup, the sarcoids did drop off within 6 weeks of buying him with a diet change, but this is the second bout of colic with no real explanation other than hindgut pain, so there's something amiss. Hes significantly better now but I'm not convinced that his hind gut biome is great. I think it functions ok, then something happens and it tips it over the edge into being a problem, and I need to stop that cycle.
Andrew657
Well-Known Member
I used to buy the clivers (cleavers) / marigold from wormers-direct.co.uk
Tiddlypom
Carries on creakily
Just to add to this. Currently there is no need to give the neds dried hawthorn, dandelions, cleavers or nettles as they can either find their own or I toss it to them semi wilted, having foraged for it
.Cleavers and nettles, yum!
TPO
Well-Known Member
I cheated and ordered a pre mix from Horse Herbs with two other "straights".
Thanks for the info on this thread. I wouldn't have thought of adding specific herbs without it
Thanks for the info on this thread. I wouldn't have thought of adding specific herbs without it
Fruitcake
Well-Known Member
Well, the herbs seem to be going down OK. I made a base mix of equal weights of oregano, thyme and rosemary and then used a ratio of 3 parts of this to 4 parts nettles, 4 parts dandelion, 2 parts mint and one part fenugreek seeds. I’ve gradually worked up to feeding a 150ml scoop twice a day and they seem quite happy with it. I’ve also addded some cinnamon for the tubby-prone one.
I think I’ll add in some hawthorn and cleavers in the winter, but at the moment, they’re self serving with hawthorn as there’s a hedge bordering the field and I’ve been picking cleavers for them.
I read that the herbs could be soaked in water to help make them more readily available and easily absorbed so I’ve just been chucking it in with their token alpha-beet feed while it soaks overnight. The feed room smells lovely!
I think I’ll add in some hawthorn and cleavers in the winter, but at the moment, they’re self serving with hawthorn as there’s a hedge bordering the field and I’ve been picking cleavers for them.
I read that the herbs could be soaked in water to help make them more readily available and easily absorbed so I’ve just been chucking it in with their token alpha-beet feed while it soaks overnight. The feed room smells lovely!