We all love our horses, and most of us like to receive flowers. So why not give your horse an edible hedgerow bouquet?
There are many fantastic plants that you can collect and feed to your horse. You can gather plants and feed them from the hand, a small net or scatter them around their stable or field for your horse to find.
Good plants for your bouquet:
Ash is palatable, tasty and a treat that is hard to reach. Small clusters of leaves make for a great base for your bouquet.
Cow parsley is a favourite of many horses and is full of antioxidants. Cow parsley is widely available between April to June and has small feathery leaves. You do have to be careful when collecting cow parsley that you do not pick hemlock, giant hogweed or fool's parsley all of which are harmful to horses. Please refer to a plant identifier app or book to identify the plant in question before feeding to your horse. If in doubt do not feed.
Cleavers support the lymphatic system and contain silica to help strengthen coat and hair. They can be fed in abundance while they are available. You can also use them to make cleaver water for yourself!
Dandelions are a great source of fibre for your horse and have anti-inflammatory properties. You can feed the flowers when yellow or just the leaves alone.
Hawthorn is rich in iron and flavonoids. It was historically a widely used plant to increase circulation. The leaves, berries and flowers are all safe for your horse to eat. Just be careful when picking them as the thorns are sharp.
While the blackberries are not yet ripe, the leaves can still be enjoyed by your horse. They are rich in vitamin C and flavonoids. Again the thorns on the stems are sharp so where possible, take just the leaves.
Willow is a well researched antiinflammatory plant that humans have developed into aspirin. Many horses will naturally seek it when available to help with stiffness or digestive issues.
Thistles Thistle flowers are a tasty treat for your horse. Some will pick the tops off the thistles themselves but others do not like to risk the prickle from the leaves. You can carefully cut the buds and flowers from thistles for your horse to enjoy. Most horses prefer smaller headed thistles such as the creeping thistle but may not like the large spikey flowers of the spear thistle.
As with any additions to your horse’s diet use your common sense.
Some of the plants will not be suitable for those with laminitis.
Do check that these plants are safe.
Both the British Horse Society and RSPCA have useful guides to poisonous plants with pictures to aid identification. If in doubt do not feed. https://www.bhs.org.uk/horse-care-and-welfare/health-care-management/pasture-management/poisonous-plants/ https://www.rspca.org.uk/adviceandwelfare/pets/horses/health/poisoning/common
We'd love to hear your thoughts! Have you tried giving your horse an edible hedgerow bouquet? What plants did you include, and did they enjoy the treat? Share your experiences and tell us what you'd add to your own hedgerow bouquet in the comments below.
