Mare eating thistle

[sandr]

Ive notice my TB mare eating dried out dead thistle plants this morning

I have NO idea weather they are safe or not, we have a lot at the yard and nobody seems that bothered about them.

Help!!!

 

[piebaldsparkle]

Thistles are fine.

 

[muffinino]

The horses on our yard are fond of the purple flowers on the thistles and it doesn't do them any harm.

I read the title of your post as being a thistle that eats mares, not a mare that eats thistles, lol

 

[sandr]

Phew!! I made her spit it out! Thank you!

 

[PippiPony]

My mares always loved picking the flower heads of thistles

 

[RachelB]

My first pony used to LOVE clearing the (live) thistles out of her hedgerow. Maiden eats them from time to time... I don't *think* there's any harm in them!

 

[scotsmare]

LMAO at the title - brilliant

Horses eating thistles are fine....

Mare eating thistles.....they might be scary

 

[peanut]

Mine eats them too. Silly mare

 

[dufffy]

they love thistles i think they're actually quite good for them

 

[muffinino]

Just keep an eye out for thistle rash on her muzzle. It doesn't seem to bother our, just little scabs from the thistles rubbing their soft noses - thistles fight back, lol. Hmmm, maybe I was right about the title!

 

[ladyt25]

Horses love thistles and especially cut dried thistles and nettles. As far as I know they are good for them. My pony was actually ill earlier this year as he reacted badly to a penicillin shot that he was given to treat an infected foot (he's never needed veterinary treatment before in the last 14 years so we didn't know he was allergic to penicillin!).

But afterwards we saw he was eating more of the thistle flowers than normal so I can only assume he knows that they are good for him and who knows, maybe they have healing powers!!

 

[SSM]

There is not a flowering thistle left in our field as Donkey consumes them all.

 

[hellybelly6]

Thistles are fine for horses. My horse loves them, he likes the seed heads. They can be a good tonic for the liver.

He also likes wild rose hips, hawthorn esp the flowers, dandylions, clevers - sticky plant and willow.

 

[Maisy]

my girls *love* thistles!!

 

[FinellaGlen]

My Highland loves thistles. I always thought it was because they reminded her of home

 

[carys220]

My NF loves them!!! She very carefully picks them with her teeth having her lips wide so not to hurt herself.....she's a pro, and rather funny to watch!

 

[caemar1]

[ QUOTE ]
My NF loves them!!! She very carefully picks them with her teeth having her lips wide so not to hurt herself.....she's a pro, and rather funny to watch!

[/ QUOTE ]

My old mare, now sadly no longer with me, used to do that.

So funny to watch! She would pick them very carefully and chew slowly, followed by a delicate swallow

 

[Theresa_F]

Our new clydie mare loves them - eats them all top to bottom. My WB liked just the flowers - used to nibble all the tops off.

Chancer likes to let them grow as large as possible and then pulls them up and "kills" them - you find squashed thistles all over the place, or we did until we got Farra who I think will eat them before they get large enough to be toys for Chancer.

 

[jesterfaerie]

My pony loves to eat the tops off them, the rest aren't so bothered so all the more for him!

 

[Donkeymad]

Thistles are loved by many horses, and absolutely fine for them. I spend a lot of time cutting them to feed my donkeys, and theystand there braying and drooling in anticipation!

 

[henryhorn]

Horses given access to varied grazing eat all sorts of things, I've seen ours eat leaves off trees, nettles, thistles, herbs, and it apears to do them no harm.
I think I read somewhere that thistles are a good blood tonic, but could be wrong.
There are some plants like ragwort and water dropwort that are lethal but normal thistles are fine.