Nettles, Reeds and weeds for laminitic pony?

[poiuytrewq]

After my track used for two little ponies was left empty for some time its like a jungle. Three bigger horses have spent a week on it to graze it all down again. They have done a great job on the grass but left tall weedy stuff round the edges growing up through the fencing etc. Its a very wet area a lot of the time and so has lots of reedy marshy kind of plants, nettles and such like. Also lots of over hanging tree's.
So is it safe to put the ponies back out there as it is? I *think* its mainly grass i need to be careful with but am new to laminitis.

 

[stencilface]

Ive wondered this too as ive fed my lami horse cut nettles, thistles and willow branches in his earth paddock. I think they can't have the same effect really.

 

[laura_nash]

So is it safe to put the ponies back out there as it is? I *think* its mainly grass i need to be careful with but am new to laminitis.

Its sugars you need to be careful with, so not just grass (e.g. apples, pears, rosehips might be an issue) but nettles etc. are probably fine. The only thing is to double-check about anything poisonous, ponies on restricted grazing might try eating something they wouldn't usually bother with so you need to be more careful about weeds and trees.

 

[poiuytrewq]

Great, no fruit trees or rose hip. No poisonous plants this field has all been eaten right down to nothing previously by other horses.
I actually really like it like this as it's more interesting for them!
I've just been and fenced the barest area off and plan for now to keep them overnight in that pen and let them out on the rest of the track muzzled during the day. This means they have access all day to shade.

 

[Pearlsasinger]

Nettles used to be prescribed for laminitics.

 

[cowgirl16]

Nettles used to be prescribed for laminitics.

^^ Agree with this - had a small laminitic years ago - farrier recommended cutting some nettles, allowing them to dry, and feed them to the pony. Pony made a full recovery. Don't know if it was the nettles or the homeopathic stuff I had him on that worked, but if I was to encounter the problem again, I'd be feeding the nettles again.

 

[Regandal]

Cow parsley is good for laminitics as well.

 

[Sugar_and_Spice]

Sticky-weed (cleavers? can't remember, sorry) is good for laminitis and I've seen rosehips in a herbal supplement for laminitis, so don't think they'd do any harm either. Nettles are good generally and if you cut them horses love them wilted.

ETA: if you know what plants are in your field, you can phone Feedmark and the nutritionist will tell you if any of it is unsuitable for laminitics.

 

[LeneHorse]

Ive wondered this too as ive fed my lami horse cut nettles, thistles and willow branches in his earth paddock. I think they can't have the same effect really.

Willow branches are good as willow bark is a traditional natural pain relief.

"Willow bark, the bark of several varieties of willow tree, has been used for centuries as a pain reliever. The active ingredient in the medicine made from willow bark is called salicin."

My horse gets a daily salad in the summer months of cow parsley, willow twigs and leaves, dandelion leaves, hawthorn shoots and 'sticky willie'.

 

[laura_nash]

I've seen rosehips in a herbal supplement for laminitis, so don't think they'd do any harm either.

Rosehips are high in biotin so often included in hoof supplements. However, my understanding is that fresh rosehips can be high in sugar and you do need to exercise caution with them if you had a whole hedge of roses for example.

 

[Nudibranch]

Cut or strim them and allow to dry for a couple of days. Makes them more palatable. Sugar shouldn't be an issue in those kind of plants afaik.

 

[Apercrumbie]

Cow parsley is good for laminitics as well.

So that's why my boy is so obsessed

 

[MyBoyChe]

My pony seems to think that cow parsley is just good for horses, full stop He absolutely loves the stuff and I have a job to stop him walking into the hedgerows with me on top if he spots a fresh patch!

 

[fattylumpkin]

There's some new research published in the Equine Vetinary Journal which said that the fear of laminitis caused by sugars has become overblown and is overly simplistic. Their results indicated that horses who were vulnerable to laminitis caused by sugars reaching the hind gut were horses who had an underlying hormonal condition to begin with. They had difficulty inducing laminitis in horses who were sound regardless of the amount of sugars. It was a really interesting read! Basically their advice rounds out to:

-Keep your horse at a healthy weight to avoid hormonal conditions developing
-Investigate all signs which point to the horse having a hormonal condition regardless of their age/fitness

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/jour...is__recent_advances_and_future_directions.htm

 

[ILuvCowparsely]

We had our Gardner strim the nettles down round the edges and the ponies are gradually eating them up. Nettles are fine for laminitics have a read of this http://thenaturallyhealthyhorse.com/dried-nettle-horses/