Why go on a snack walk with your horse?

Many plants, herbs, and trees are incredibly healthy for horses. In nature, horses don't just eat grass, they also eat herbs, leaves, twigs, bushes, and even a bit of soil from time to time. And from their genes, a horse still knows all of this, but as humans, we have pressed the pause button by bringing the food to the horse. Often, a very monotonous diet of mainly English ryegrass and sometimes a bit of other grasses. But did you know that eating different herbs, plants, and trees is actually very healthy? This way, the horse gets vitamins and minerals as well as active substances with healing properties.

By going on a snack walk with your horse, you give your horse the opportunity to stimulate that piece of natural behavior. You give him the choice again to search for what he likes, but also what he needs. A bit of cleavers, or perhaps some willow or maybe blackberry. A snack walk has many benefits:

• It's fun to walk together with your horse

• It's healthy

• You learn to see what your horse needs

How do you approach a snack walk?

It's actually very simple to go on a snack walk. Put on some good shoes, pick your horse from the paddock/pasture, and start walking. Of course, it's nice if he behaves well outside, otherwise consider taking a buddy and stable mate with you. Choose a route where there isn't too much grass, because then your horse's choice will probably be quickly made 😉. But explore the forest, the heath, and see which plants, trees, and other herbs he likes to eat. If you don't recognize the plant and are unsure if this bush is toxic, take a photo and then don't let your horse eat from it. Check at home (or via an app) what plant it is. Next time, you'll know whether your horse can safely eat that plant or not. Plants that are always safe:

• Rosehip

• Cleavers

• Nettle

• Moss

• Bark and branches: willow, birch, poplar, alder, linden, apple, and pear trees

• Hawthorn (those young leaves and twigs)

• Dandelion

• Cow parsley

• Daisy

If you don't have the opportunity to walk with your horse, go on a walk yourself and pick twigs, leaves, and herbs here and there. Check at home which ones are preferred by your horse. For inspiration, you can follow Ukie's Paddock Paradise. She often shares the plants she encounters and whether they are suitable or not.

Ps. Did you know that horses sometimes consciously eat a toxic plant? Sometimes horses eat a little buttercup, even though it is toxic and bitter in taste. But the substances in the buttercup stimulate the function of the liver, causing the liver to be extra activated. The horse then knows that his liver needs extra motivation and does that by eating something that does just that. A horse knows this from its genes and we as humans can trust that more.