The value of ancient hedges?

J

Janah

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For the last two years at this time my boy has developed headshaking.

I am just wondering if this has anything to do with the fact tht until this time he has had access to ancient hedges with plants such as, rosehips, cleavers, blackberries and many more plants too many to list.

Just a thought on how many of our horses/ponies are reduced to eating just grass. I well remember my boy with his head burried in hedges eating goodness know what and self medicating at all times of year. I have even seen him eating very young wood, maybe for roughage?

Just a random thought.

Jane
 
I've wondered how much value we've lost by losing so many old hedges - the old horsemen always used to say horses will largely treat themselves by using hedgerow plants and bushes.

I'm only glad that we still have ours, and my Dad has worked hard over the last 5 or so years to try to improve their condition to keep them going.
 
I believe there are lots of things in an old hedged pasture that are good for horses , nothing should eat only one thing. But was a bit p****d off when someone complained about my poor horses being reduced to eating the hedge as I was obviously wasnt feeding them! Had spent all winter trying to get weight off Sam.
 
Not only the hedges but the pasture too, I spot spray if I have to for bad weeds but pull or dig most by hand as I want the herbs in my pasture for the horses. I tolerate nettle patches round the edges which I cut for them 2-3 times in the summer. Mine also eat common thistles so I let some of those grow as well and cut them for the horses. I get rid of most of the docks leaving a few for wildlife and in the summer my land is alive with insects, including a lot of bumble bees,my hedges are varied and unkempt looking but are full of nesting birds, I have small mammals and birds of prey including Kites and Buzzards.

I see so many blanket spraying everything, but with a bit of time and effort every year and you have a balanced pasture that is much better for the average horse and pony than pure grass and supports a whole raft of other species, mine enjoy herbs like dandylions, plantain, cleavers and cow parsley.
 
I am now picking cleavers and dandelion heads for my boy. I am also looking into growing herbs for him in the garden.

Jane
 
I agree, hedges are valuable to all sorts of wildlife as well as horses, who are browsers aswell as grazers.

My ponies are kept on old pasture with surrounded by trees and hedges and I think theres nothing worse than keeping a horse in a featureless post and rail paddock.

Mine will eat ash, willow, hawthorn, thistles, dandilions and occassionally nettles.
 
Our horses will queue for us to grab the ash branches low enough for them to eat off!

We have planted lots of new hedges over the last few years, and if my horse will stop ripping off the plastic and eating the nice fresh shoots, they might just get some good hedges :rolleyes:

Our field has lots of different species, patches of thistles and nettles - we do try to keep them from dominating the field, but it is hard! Other herbs are buttercups (well hated I know!), selfheal, birds foot trefoil, knotgrass and grasses range from fescue, cocksfoot, ryegrass, yorkshire fog - bit of everything really!

The horses have access to salt/mineral licks but at certain times of the year they lick the mud. We have a natural spring in the middle of the field, and a very old stone trough sunk into ground level, so I can only think there are minerals in there they like. One day I will get it analysed......
 
Well if anybody wants to preserve their hedges, don't forget to get them layed. This is a far better ( but more expensive) way of management, and it's dieing out, so needs more people to do it!!
 
I love to watch them drinking from the fresh spring/river water - it looks so much more natural, and I'm sure they must prefer it too.

One of the hedges belonging to the yard has just be layed and it perfect jumping height - it is very tempting!
 
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