Poison plants

[griff]

I jusy found out I can have up to two horses in my back yard and am thinking about moving our May 2005 filly up here so I can youch her every day. this one we wish yo race in 2007.

i know I have to get rid of the cherry trees but need tp knpw what other 'yard; plants also need to go.

griff

[ZiaLand]

Griff, I believe Black Walnut and Oleander are also poisonous to horses, to name a couple off the top of my head.

Laurie

[Shammy Davis]

Griff: You can get a list from your local VA TECH Extension Office. I know they do seminars on the subject. As a rule, horses are very discriminating and they normally do not eat plants that are objectionable or injurious. For example, it is not the Black Oak leaf that is the problem or for that matter the trunk, it is when the Black Oak Shavings are used in bedding and the horses have difficulty discriminating. I have attended a couple seminars in our area and I have found that there are a great many exaggerated opinions on the topic. We have Wild Cherry and Black Oak all over our central VA farm and have never experienced a problem. VA TECH provides exceptable services and as far as VA goes, they are the horse's mouth.

[griff]

Thanks guys

I live in York County in SE Virginia so the VA Tech stuff is very appropriate. I do appreciate that horses will not usually eat a poisoius plants but I've planted a lot of azaleas, camella, and fruit [including cherry] trees over the years and just don't want to do something really stupid.

This is a nice filly and I think she and I would bpth benefit if I brought her up from the farm

griff

[pembroke]

Keep in mind that some plants are only poisonous when the leaves are wilted. Cherry and apple trees fall into this category. They produce cyanide in the leaves as they wilt. One of the MOST poisonous, is the yew family, most people have yews as foundation plants. I'll never forget the story about one of the Budweiser horses grabbing a peice of yew. He or she died before help could be summond. Scary to think it can work that fast! Rodedendrons are also toxic and I believe Mountain laurel falls into that same group.

[griff]

Yep

The Rodedendrons and azaleias have to go.

griff

[Chanter]

Depending upon the style of horse keeping you shall be doing upon your property, I do not see why the azaleas & rhodies would actually have to go; so long as the horses do not have direct access to them & you keep the plants groomed. They are very common upon horse properties in Washington state.

Do you normally grow a vegetable garden? With having horses at home does this now mean you shall no longer plant potatoes since it is a night shade? What about corn? How can you be postive about aflatoxin?

Though oleander I personally would be paranoid over. Normally, a well maintained horse would not even bother with an oleander even if it could reach it. But geez, that is one plant that can kill a horse deader than a door faster than you can shake a stick. Definitely not worth its' risk.

Do you know there are some counties in California that have declared oleander illegal, due to the horse issue. Sort surprises me how Ocala/Marion county has not taken the same stance.

There is being reasonable & then there is being paranoid. I dunno, perhaps for your property lay out paranoid is a good thing?

[Kristie]

and I think it's the yew evergreen that can kill in one bite. Don't forget the red maples are toxic. Also mountain laurel. Tomato plants.

[griff]

I've had personal experoence with wilted black cherry and frost killed sudan grass. Both caised immediate abortions in some of my brood cows.

The literature only specifies black cherry as a danger but I think I'm going to remove all cherry trees. Do you think the plum and/or pear trees will be OK?

I would have thought nandina, and maybe camelias, would be a problem but can't find them listed.

griff

[Chanter]

When living up north I fed plums & pears as treats. I ALWAYS removed the plum pit first. Stories of the pit having been sharp enough to slice the intestine.

Heck, I actually grew a horse garden.

[jumper77]

I used to work at a big barn in New Orleans that had azaleas everywhere. They didn't believe me that they were poisonous. Guess Katrina re-landscaped. (That is sooooo not funny, I know.)

[monicabee]

I learned most of the classic toxic plants from someone running a broodmare farm. Nandina is definitely one of them as it contains a type of cyanide. Leave it if the horses don't have direct access to it, or to areas where clippings might be tossed (that can be the hard part).

I also found lots of these plants on my inlaw's farm where they have raised horses for many many years without a problem. There are apple trees in the pasture that they don't harvest, milkweed, etc. But their horses have so much pasture that they never bother with the milkweed and they don't seem to gorge on the apples either. These are older, experienced horses, however.

Young and/or bored horses are more likely to experiment with toxic plants. Your biggest problem might be companionship for your yearling filly if you are thinking of pasturing her alone (it's not clear from your post) -- if that's the case the best security measure might be to:

a) buy another young race prospect.
b) find a babysitter horse.

Sounds like fun to have her on your property though, as long as you don't have to clear-cut it.

[griff]

I suspected the nandina was bad news; wonder why it was not included in any of the university web sites?

In fact i think my dad once told me all plants with dark green shiny leaves were dangerious.

griff

[jumper77]

Aren't onions bad too?

[griff]

the only problem with onions that I know of is they ruin a dairy cows milk and you can taste it in the meet if it was consumed too close to slaughter.

griff