Plants that are good for horses

[Bettyboo222]

I was wondering if anyone knew which plants are benificial to horses and where is best to find them ?

 

[paulineh]

1) Nettles are very good for the blood
2) Sticky weed (Cleavers) good for lymphatic system
3) Marigold heads good for glandular Support

 

[nativepony]

I think thistles are meant to be good for hormonal mares??

 

[Bettyboo222]

Have a feeling I shall be wandering through the feilds by my house tommorow looking for plants

 

[Enfys]

Years ago, and I'm talking 30+ here, I used to be very friendly with a family of Romanies who stayed on a common in our village. The elder always told me that the best thing I could do for my horse everyday was to get on him (bareback, halter -before H&S) and let him spend a half hour browsing the hedgerows for whatever he wanted, he'd pick what he needed.

Doing that now, unless you live in some idyllic backwater, would be well nigh impossible safely but if you do happen to find some place that hasn't been pruned to within a inch of the ground let your horse browse.

Cowparsley is a huge favourite, nettles, garlic, willow, apple, brambles, wild carrot, heather, gorse tops (incidentally that used to be picked and made into chaff in the days when horses really worked) are all good. My horses love the tips of golden rod too (which is used for some eye ointments) lucky really because I have acres of the wretched stuff.

Avoid boggy ditches where the real nasties like hemlock and hogwort grow, as a rule of thumb, if there is mares tail (also not good) growing, move on.

 

[Bettyboo222]

Is mares tail the little spikey looking one? I tried google imaging it but lots of different ones came up. I do let her browse when we go for walk but I ma looking for some stuff to take with us because I don't wan't to make her walk back up the hill to the farm

 

[Enfys]

Is mares tail the little spikey looking one? I tried google imaging it but lots of different ones came up. I do let her browse when we go for walk but I ma looking for some stuff to take with us because I don't wan't to make her walk back up the hill to the farm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Equisetum_arvense

Poisonous plants to horses: Horsetail
Name: Equisetum Arvense
Location: poorly drained, sandy, acid soils or cultivated fields or roadsides or woods.
Description:
Symptoms: Slow to develop is jaundice, weakness, staggering gait and excitability to paralysis.

Sorry have to dash - visitor

 

[Bettyboo222]

thanks your AMAZING

 

[Mrs B]

Willow. The bark contains salicylic acid from which aspirin is derived.

We had a mare on the yard who arrived with laminitis and put several pieces of freshly cut willow in her box every day - she loved it! She'd hold the branch under her hoof and strip the bark off it. Acted as a natural painkiller and gave her something to do and look forward to. She was on box rest for three months with it and came out sound as a pound!

 

[Puppy]

I think thistles are meant to be good for hormonal mares??

That's funny because my mardy old mare loves thistles