Horses & Holly

[missmatch]

Caught my cob eating mouthfuls of dark green holly in his field. Is this poisonous. He has plenty of grass and I put hay out too so can't understand why he's started this. Thank you.

 

[Shay]

Yes it is poisonous. Not massively so - but both holly leaves and berries are posionous to horses (and dogs and cats). Symptoms are gut disturbance and depression.

Might be an idea to try and fence it away?

 

[planete]

New Forest ponies eat holly every winter with no ill effects. Commoners actually cut holly branches for the ponies to eat in winter. I used to hang a bunch in my horse' s stable to keep him amused when he lived in. Never heard of it being poisonous.

 

[scrat]

New Forest ponies eat holly and gorse in the winter. The holly bushes look almost like someone has formed them into topiary shapes, pruned by the ponies. I would not be worried if he was just browsing along the hedge line for somthing different to eat.

 

[Gloi]

If it was poisonous enough to worry about it wouldn't need those spines to deter animals from eating it.