how much thistle is too much thistle?

My gelding loves thistles too. Its quite funny watching him eat them trying not to let them touch his tongue too much!

Don't think its done him any harm so far!
 
My girl snd her gang are really getting into thistle munching this year too. I have never noticed them tucking into thistles in the past qiite like they are at the moment.
 
my old boy loved a prickly thistle it amazed me how gently he maneovered it around his soft muzzle and lips etc....tasty.
 
Mare isnt quite so careful ! Just munching on through them. Wonder what's in them that they are all craving this year
 
Loads of the horses in my ponies field always seem to be eating them including my pony he loves them. Goes straight for them when he's put back out, see a load of them stood in the middle of big patches of thistles munching away.
 
Mine has gone mad for them this year too :)

thistle has a lot of health benefits, including use as a liver toxin (milk thistle is great for hangovers in people, incidentally!!)....let them eat away! They'll stop when they've had enough :)

K x
 
Every year when I move my old mare into the winter field she will start on the grass but after a few hours you will always find her having a thistle munching session. She will get fed up of them after a while and go back to grass, but will still have a good session on the thistles evry now and again. I have read somewhere than they are quite sweet to eat, not sure where I read it.
 
Tifferss said:
My mare has gone potty for eating Thistles. Can they be harmful ?
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Like most things, yes they can be harmful. My ginger beastie was very close to being rushed into Glasgow Vet school to remove a thistle from his throat :rolleyes: Luckily it passed through with some fairly hefty painkillers.
 
I don't know about harmful, but thistles are a major PITA when the dried heads get tangled in horses manes and tails.
I spent 2 HOURS today extracting hundreds of the bl00dy things out of my pony's mane and tail today !
Her forelock and tail were clogged up solid with them, she strongly resembled a przewalskis horse this morning.
 
Mine always love them. We cut down a heap of them a few days ago which they loved munching on. The clever ones know to stand on a plant and then gently tear off the leaves so they dont get their lips jabbed. My new horse was terrified of them, clearly having never seen them before! He grabbed one, then it "chased" him round the stable... ;)
 
they are very sugary (I did some research as to whether or not they were likely to have caused my lammi-prone pony a set-back when he went very pottery again a day after we had got him lots of thistles to cheer him up on his box rest). I don't recall my gang being so keen on them other years, but this year they are mad for them.
 
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