Weeds or Healthy for Horses?

In your horse's pasture, there is often more than just grass. This is not a problem, in fact, it is often a good thing. In the wild, horses do not only eat grass. Herbs, bushes, and trees are also on the menu.

Each plant offers something different and diversity is healthy. But of course, you don't want your horse to eat toxic plants. That's why it's good to know which plants belong in your pasture and which ones don't.

'Green desert'

In the Netherlands, many pastures are very monotonous. They mainly consist of English ryegrass or sometimes grass clover, a mixture of ryegrass and clover. This type of grass is good for cows that need to produce a lot of milk. But these pastures are too rich for horses, especially for simple breeds such as Shetlands or Haflingers. Many nature lovers call cow pastures with only English ryegrass 'green deserts'. It looks nice and green, but there are often very few insects and birds because there is so little plant variation.

Herbs

A horse's digestion is adapted to digest sugar-free, structurally rich grass, herbs, and seeds all day long. In addition to grass species such as fescue and timothy, plants such as dandelion, cow parsley, white and red clover, chamomile, daisy, and thistles are fine for horses. Also, fenugreek, wild carrot, narrow-leaved plantain, nettles (dried so that the 'prick' is gone), and shrubs such as willow are tasty and healthy for horses. All this variety in and around your pasture is also good for biodiversity.

Low growth point

For horses, herb-rich grassland with strong grass species is most suitable. Horses cut the grass very low, closer to the ground than cows. Grass always grows from a so-called 'growth point' just above the ground. That's where the new leaves are made. If you have a grass species in your pasture with a growth point a bit above the ground, that growth point will also be eaten by your horse. Then the grass will grow back less quickly. That's why you should sow grass species with a low growth point in your pasture.

Strong root system

Horses can be a kind of vandals for your pasture. They walk and run over it and trample the grass much faster than cows. This is also a reason to choose horse grass instead of the usual cow grass. The roots of the plants must form a dense network and be strong so that the plants can survive being trodden on by horse hooves.

Poisonous plants

So, a lot of variety in the pasture is fine, but you want to avoid having poisonous plants in it. The most famous toxic plant is ragwort. This plant has a two-year cycle. In the first year, only a rosette of leaves is visible, in the second year, the plant flowers. If there is enough to eat in a pasture, horses will not quickly nibble on this toxic plant. It is especially a risk in hayfields because horses will not recognize the plant in dried form - mixed in with the hay - and will eat it. Ragwort contains a substance that is stored in the liver and converted into a toxic substance. This accumulates and can eventually cause the horse to die. Field horsetail (Lidrus) is also toxic to horses, as are common garden plants such as eagle fern, buttercup, daffodil, and monkshood. Foxglove, which is often found in the forest, is also toxic to horses. Additionally, various trees and shrubs are problematic. Well-known examples are yew, boxwood, and maple. Regularly check your pasture for toxic plants and make sure your horse has enough roughage. If they have enough to eat, they will usually not eat toxic plants on their own.

Pasture maintenance

Do not sprinkle your horse pasture with artificial fertilizer. This is not healthy for horses and can lead to itchiness. A good option is to use concentrated minerals from the Bering Sea. These contain all possible minerals and trace elements to keep your pasture healthy, increase the production of dry matter and chlorophyll, and support soil life. Fulvic acids from seawater contribute to better resistance and development of the plant's root hairs. In addition, grass and herbs that are regularly sprayed with these minerals contain more minerals and antioxidants. This is extra healthy for your horse.

Weeds or actually healthy for horses?