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Inside:
WELLNESS
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Your natural resource!
How to create a more natural environment
“PMS� problems in your mare? Try chasteberry
14 poisonous plants to avoid How to turn
Boarding
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6 steps
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VOLUME 2 ISSUE 3
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equine wellness
contents
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features Click on this icon to visit featured links
16 6 steps to picking the perfect horse Photo: Mary Ann Simonds
Setting the stage for a great partnership
28
20
Composting turns manure to gold
28
Echoes of the wild
Expert advice on manure management
Creating a more natural environment for your horse
36 14 poisonous plants your horse shouldn’t eat
Photo: If Your Horse Could Talk
Check out our easy-to-follow chart
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How to become a confident rider... again!
50
Does your mare have “PMS”?
56
Embracing the Elements: Part three
62
Getting centered
50
Understanding and overcoming your insecurities
Chasteberry may be able to help
The Elements of Chinese Medicine: is your horse “earth” or “metal”?
How Centered Riding helps you flow with your horse
66 3 basics for senior health
Keeping them happy and healthy in their golden years
69
equine wellness
Home Sweet Home Tips for choosing a boarding facility
equine wellness
14
poisonous plants
your horse
shouldn’t eat by Lisa Ross-Williams
Michelle and Pete had found their perfect dream horse property. As they walked their new acreage, they noticed many plants they didn’t recognize. Knowing some could be a danger to their horses, they took photos and visited their county extension office to identify them. 36
equine wellness
Why would your horse consume toxic plants?
You can prevent most poisonings
Although more selective than cattle and sheep, horses are still at risk for ingesting toxic plants. “Some poisonous plants are palatable to horses, and exposed horses readily eat them,” says Bryan Stegelmeier, DVM, PhD Veterinary Pathologist of the USDA/ARS Poisonous Plant Research Laboratory. “Others may be eaten by some animals even though they are unpalatable to the rest of the herd.”
• Ensure your horse has adequate pasture and/or free-choice grass hay – hungry horses are more apt to eat toxic forage.
So why do some horses seem to prefer poisonous plants? “Since individual horses may actively seek and eat toxic plants, it has been suggested they become addicted to certain ones,” says Dr. Stegelmeier. “There is little experimental support for addiction, but individual horses do develop strong feed preferences. Such animals certainly pose greater risk of being poisoned.” The veterinary pathologist explains that the risk may be even greater with stored feed and in herd situations. “As a rule, both preferences and palatability are different when poisonous plants are dried and included in stored feed. Most horses readily accept toxic plants that are included in hay or processed feed. In a herd, competition for food can enhance poisoning as animals hurry to eat what they can or fight to keep lesser status animals from eating.” How can we be proactive and protect our equine partners, without living in constant fear? Learn what plants in your area are toxic to horses (see table for the most common 14), the signs of poisoning they cause, how to decrease the chances your herd will consume them, and finally, what to do if you suspect a problem.
• Provide additional supplementation to meet their vitamin and mineral needs. • Supply a fresh, clean water source. • Identify poisonous plants in your area. An excellent resource is the county extension office. • Use caution when introducing new or young horses to different environments. • Closely inspect hay prior to feeding it.
What if you suspect poisoning? • Call your veterinarian immediately and follow his instructions. • Identify, or better yet, obtain a sample of the suspect plant; treatment depends on what it is. • Keep your horse calm.
Luckily, horses don’t normally eat toxic plants because Mother Nature has given most of them a bad taste. We certainly Valuable resources don’t need to live Local County Extension Office in constant fear, • but we do need to USDA/ARS Poisonous Plant educate ourselves Research Laboratory, so we can head off www.ars.usda.gov potential problems, • and deal with those FDA Poisonous Plant Database, that happen. www.cfsan.fda.gov • Canadian Poisonous Plants Continued on next Information System, page... www.cbif.gc.ca/pls/pp equine wellness
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