Poisonous Plants For Horses
They should be pulled out by the roots before they seed. For large, heavily infested areas, such as blackberries or thistles, spraying
will be necessary but this job should be left to the experts so consult your local weed control company.
Fortunately horses and ponies are selective grazers and won't normally eat poisonous plants unless there's nothing else to eat.
Poisonous Plants and Weeds
One very prolific weed is Salvation Jane, also known as Patterson's Curse, which continues to flourish during times of drought.
Horses can die after eating Salvation Jane. The toxin is stored in the liver causing damage even after many years and unfortunately there's probably a lot of horse and ponies that have eaten it and had liver damage but are not yet showing any symptoms.
NEVER put your horse or pony in a paddock containing Salvation Jane.
If you are unsure what it looks like and there's a purple flowering plant in your horse's paddock, don't put him or her in there until you're sure it's not Salvation Jane, becasue it's potentially dangerous.
List of Poisonous Plants for Horses
Other poisonous plants include bracken
Castor oil plants, oleander, buttercups, oak (acorns in large amounts).
(mainly in the form of garden clippings)
Box and privet hedges
Lawn mover clippings also worth a mention as although not poisonous, can be fatal if eaten as they compact and ferment in the horse's stomach, causing colic.