Self choice herbs

[Lancelot]

Does anyone offer their horse different herbs to self choose from?

What do you offer? Where do you get them from? How do you feed them? Do you limit the amount they can consume?

Love the idea of it but have a million questions!

 

[weebarney]

I'll keep an eye on this. The Paddock paradise book says to plant herbs in a part of your field but I dont really know if thats realistic. I was thinking of planting some in a tractor tyre planter or something that will stop them from trashing the herbs. That book also says to bury minerals like salt blocks but I'm not sure whether my horses would ever find it if I buried it.

 

[be positive]

Plants rather than herbs but I pick cleavers, nettles, dandelions, hawthorn, the hedges around the fields are full of different things they can nibble at. When on box rest I picked loads of nettles for my laminitic pony to eat and did not restrict other than by how much I could actually pick, he seemed to eat almost as fast as I could get them but ate less once he was on the mend.
The book A Modern Horse Herbal available through www.hiltonherbs.co.uk is really useful as a guide to what herbs are good for various conditions.

 

[Lancelot]

Thanks Be Positive, when my boy was struggling with grass sensitivity I was feeding him wilted nettle as someone said it was good for laminitics. He absolutely LOVED them and couldn't eat them quick enough!

I'll take a look at that website