The plants that can be harmful, or poisonous, to horses on the farm. That’s coming up on This Land of Ours.
With so many plants out in the wild, it’s hard for horses to tell which ones are friendly and which ones to stay away from. Farmers and ranchers will need to be extra vigilant and keep horses away from dozens of poisonous plants. From Horsetail Plants to Poison Hemlock, Oleanders, Jimsonweed, Lambsquarters, Ground Ivy, Potato Leaves, Tomato plants, and every part of an Avocado Tree.
While Bermuda grass isn’t poisonous on its own, it’s susceptible to a blight called ergot, which can be extremely dangerous to horses. Ergot can cause tremors, convulsion, rolling tongue and eyes, and full-body paralysis. Bermuda grass hay is 6 to 10 times more likely to cause colic in horses than any other hay.
Red Oak Leaves, Red Maple Leaves and Sorghum is also incredibly poisonous to horses.
Listen to Cathy Isom’s This Land of Ours program here.