Frequently Asked Questions

    The common names and pseudonyms of most toxic plants are listed in our database, but due to regionalism, it undoubtedly is missing a few local names. If you are uncertain, or can't find your plant by common name, attempt searching by scientific name. An Internet search using Google or Yahoo! should provide you with most scientific names.  The USDA plants databases are also excellent sources: http://plants.usda.gov & http://www.pprl.ars.usda.gov/.

QUESTION:   What ornamental or landscaping plants are toxic to horses?

ANSWER: 
                                         

This largely depends on the geographical region in which you live. However, some landscape plants documented as having toxicity to horses are arborvitae, boxwood, bittersweet, creeping charlie, some ivies, Japanese yew, oleander, some ornamental grasses, philodendron, rhododendron, Prunus species like chokecherry, serviceberry, and cherry, and shamrocks, among others. We suggest identifying the species in question and then searching our database for them, as each region or area has its own ornamentals.

 

 

QUESTION:  There are a number of trees in my horse pasture, and I wondered which are

dangerous if eaten?

ANSWER:

 

Again, this is largely based on region, but some of the toxic tree species are some oak species, red maple and some maple hybrids, some mesquites, ponderosa pine, the Prunus species as above, and many regional species such as the Kentucky coffee tree, buckeyes, golden chain tree, hawthorns, and the lucky nut tree, to name a few. Black walnut is also toxic on contact at certain stages. It's best to identify your tree and do a search on it, for accuracy.

 

 

QUESTION:   I was wondering if there are any ways to prevent your horse from eating poisonous plants?

ANSWER:

 

There is no absolute way to ensure that your horse will never ingest a toxic plant. However, most occurrences of equine plant poisoning would not have happened if there had been plenty of good forage grasses or clean hay available for the animal. Equines normally select for younger grasses and occasionally forbs, and will only sample unusual foods if their preferred forages are not available. In addition, the condition of the animal has a significant effect on how its system will be able to handle the toxic plants it does manage to ingest.  Please take a look at our section on grazing/pasture management for more detail.

 

 

QUESTION:  Do you know of a list anywhere that compares the plants toxic to horses vs. the ones toxic to ruminants?

ANSWER:

 

No, not specifically. However, on the Bibliography/Links/Resources page there are a number of sites and books which may be of some help. A search of scientific literature on scholar.google.com may be helpful as well.

 

 

QUESTION:  Which garden plants can be poisonous to horses?

ANSWER: 

 

First of all, it's rarely a good idea to give horses garden refuse unless you know absolutely there is no toxic matter included.  However, a short list of common garden plants that can be toxic to equines includes onions, rhubarb and leaves, herbs (include all to be on the safe side since little literature is available on them), most berries and cherries, potatoes, avocados, persimmons, mint, and tomatoes, to name the more common ones.

 

There are also many common garden flowers that have been known to cause problems in horses, such as anemone, azalea, bleeding heart, buttercups, daffodils, delphiniums, Easter lily, foxglove, hyacinth, larkspur, lily of the valley, poinsettia, shamrocks, tulips, flax, iris, and jasmine, among others.

 

Remember that the absence of a plant from our database does not mean it is nontoxic to equines: it only means that so far there has been no published literature citing it in cases of poisoning. Therefore, don't take chances: you don't want your horse to be the first case published for the ingestion of that particular plant.

 

QUESTION:  Can I safely feed lawn clippings to my horses?

ANSWER:

Unless you are absolutely sure your lawn consists only of varieties horses can consume safely (and if your mower doesn't spew gas and oil) it's not advised to feed lawn clippings. In addition, forage containing applied herbicides and fertilizers can also be dangerous to your animal if consumed. Some of the toxic plants that can be hidden in your yard in rural areas may include wiregrass, tall fescue, Sudangrass, snakegrass or horsetails, thistles, reed canarygrass, three-awn grasses, foxtails, needlegrass, clovers, Johnsongrass, Kleingrass, stickseed, oatgrass, cheatgrass, and a number of others. In addition, there may be leaves, seeds, or acorns from trees, shrubs, or other ornamentals included in those clippings that are unnoticed by you. True, in most cases there probably wouldn't be enough of the toxic material to cause a problem on its own, but combined with other ingested toxins from the pasture or other health issues in your horse, it just may be enough to tip the scale, so why tempt fate?