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Keeping our horses safe and healthy: the prevention of plant toxicity through good pasture management This is the largest database of its kind.

The promotion of good pasture health has far-reaching impacts, including reducing the presence of toxic plants and invasive weeds. Just as our own diets create disease and disorder within our bodies, the diets of equines do the same for theirs. Yet far too often, equines (horses of all sizes and breeds, donkeys, mules, and ponies) graze in unhealthy pastures. The consequences of toxic plants and w

eeds in pastures are many, and can be very severe. For instance: one mouthful of some ornamental shrubs can kill a horse within hours...eating a certain prickly weed can create a deadly addiction...the wilted leaves of some shade and fruit trees can kill your horse...some toxins persist for years even when dried in hay…many invasive and noxious weeds are highly toxic in amounts as little as eight ounces...and it can take months or years of ingesting some toxic plants and weeds before clinical signs even appear, at which time it may be too late for treatment. Years of graduate research and study have resulted in our database of several hundred plants that cause toxicity in equines. The effects of many of these plants can be fatal, sometimes very swiftly. Even if toxic events do not result in death, most result in high financial cost. Good vet care is expensive; tests and treatments can be outrageously high priced, and there’s no guarantee of success. Euthanasia and burials are pricey...and then there are the emotional costs. The anguish when your horse is ill or hurting...or the pain of losing it...is excruciating. Knowing that it was preventable through awareness on your part is heartbreaking. Being proactive is a must. We cannot adopt a wait-and-see attitude where the issues of equine and pasture health are concerned. It is possible to greatly reduce, if not nearly eliminate, plant toxicity through proper pasture management and diligence. Good pasture management techniques also significantly increase forage production and reduce feed/hay costs, prolong the grazing season, decrease the presence of weeds and unwanted plants, improve soil condition, help keep the watershed healthy, benefit wildlife and your neighbors, and create a sustainable system. The purpose of this page and these materials is to educate and inform about good equine pasture management, plant toxicity, toxic invasive weeds, and grazing issues. Equines have been our champions for centuries; now it is up to us to be theirs. Thank you, for their sake, for your interest and support. One way of supporting our work and writing is through Buy Me A Coffee. We welcome and appreciate a few horse cookies now and then. :)
https://www.buymeacoffee.com/EtoE

12/10/2025

The new issue of our E2E info-letter is now ready for subscribers to enjoy. :)

Info-letter subscriptions are how we're able to continue to donate a thousand plus hours a year to keeping your equines safe and your pastures healthy.

This week we explore: A few important facts about pasture soils ~ Are liver toxins (hepatotoxins) common? ~ The use of barley straw to control algae in water tanks ~ Nutrients in pastures, manure, and compost ~ The important role of minerals in the equine ~ Why knowing vetch species is important ~ Clinical signs of liver toxicity ~ Some toxic vetches and their effects ~ What does soil typically contain? ~ The two main groups of pasture grasses ~ Optimal beginning and ending grazing heights of many pasture forage species ~

Subscriptions are available monthly ($5.00, 4-5 issues) or yearly ($50.00, 52 issues). You can also order a sample issue for $1.00. The topics we include aren't covered in our FB posts, so you won't see the material repeated here. See the pinned post above for info on how to subscribe (Buy Me a Coffee, PayPal, Zelle, Venmo). We work hard and long to ensure that you get your money's worth. :)

The info-letters contain three pages of informative, original, easy-to read content for all equine stewards. An entire month of issues costs less than a stop at a coffee stand, so treat yourself or someone you care about, support the work we do, and keep your equines safe and your pastures healthy!

We'd like to thank our loyal subscribers for their support and also for their very kind words of appreciation. Those mean a lot and we're always gratified that folks are enjoying our efforts and knowledge!

06/10/2025

The new issue of our E2E info-letter is now ready for subscribers to enjoy. :)

Info-letter subscriptions are how we're able to continue to donate a thousand plus hours a year to keeping your equines safe and your pastures healthy.

This week we explore: The importance of fall to pasture forage ~ The toxicity of sheep sorrel (Rumex acetosella) ~ Sensory receptors in the horse foot ~ Human touch and stress rates in horses ~ Nitrate toxicity in grasses after drought ~ The benefits of adding lime to fall pastures ~ Potential negative outcomes of applying nitrogen in fall ~ Will this fall's large acorn crop present higher dangers? ~ Fall pastures and laminitis-prone or metabolic equines ~ How to choose a soil sample lab ~ Management actions that affect soil organic matter ~ Grass type and sugar levels ~

Subscriptions are available monthly ($5.00, 4-5 issues) or yearly ($50.00, 52 issues). You can also order a sample issue for $1.00. The topics we include aren't covered in our FB posts, so you won't see the material repeated here. See the pinned post above for info on how to subscribe (Buy Me a Coffee, PayPal, Zelle, Venmo). We work hard and long to ensure that you get your money's worth. :)

The info-letters contain three pages of informative, original, easy-to read content for all equine stewards. An entire month of issues costs less than a stop at a coffee stand, so treat yourself or someone you care about, support the work we do, and keep your equines safe and your pastures healthy!

We'd like to thank our loyal subscribers for their support and also for their very kind words of appreciation. Those mean a lot and we're always gratified that folks are enjoying our efforts and knowledge!

02/10/2025

We're going to hold off posting for awhile, at least for the rest of the week.

It seems from the lack of engagement on our posts that we're not reaching folks, and if we're not, writing posts is wasting time that we could be investing elsewhere.

Maybe folks are weary of social media, and that's understandable. We are too. If there's little to no interest, we're not accomplishing anything.

We understand that 'I don't ever see you in my feed' but here's the thing: we won't ever be in your feed unless folks take the time to come to the page, read our posts, and engage!

(No need for advice on how to increase our reach, and we're well aware that FB is a challenge, to say the least.)

We'll be hard at work on the info-letter, working with clients, and writing other materials so those with emergencies are still welcome to message.

Hope the few that see this have a safe and lovely week!

01/10/2025

~ It's WeedsDay! ~

It seems counter-intuitive, but how does an equine's avoidance of toxic invasive w**ds actually increase the danger of a toxic event in one way?

We all know that invasive and noxious w**ds degrade pastures and reduce forage quality. But is it really necessary to control or remove those small populations that seem more pesky than serious?

In a word, yes, if they're potentially toxic. Equines usually avoid grazing most w**ds due to palatability if there is good forage in pastures. This is healthy for them at the moment of course if the w**d is toxic, but what happens to the w**ds when they aren't grazed?

Invasive w**ds, if left undisturbed, can gain competitive advantages over forage. If small populations are left unchecked and the good forage is depleted, the w**d infestation will gradually (or not so gradually!) increase in size as it outcompetes dwindling grasses. This growing monoculture is usually avoided by horses, which allows them to spread even more.

As this happens, the danger of toxic events rises due to w**ds' increasing numbers. While animals' avoidance of toxic w**ds initially decreases their chances of toxicity, it also allows the expansion of w**d populations, which then increases the likelihood of toxicity.

So while small invasive w**d infestations seem benign and unimportant, it's best to hit them when their size is still limited and avoid taking risks with our equines' health!

30/09/2025

~ It's Toxo Tuesday! ~

For this Toxo Tuesday we'll look at our last FrIDay toxic plant and w**d ID plant. We didn't have a correct ID on it or even a guess, which is surprising since it's quite common in some regions.

The plant is, or rather, are, privets (Ligustrum species), some of which are also called amur or wax-leaf.

Privets are not very palatable, thankfully, so toxic events are uncommon. However, as with many cases of toxicity, when pastures are depleted any green plant look attractive to a hungry horse.

Privets contain a number of glycosides and terpenoids. Two of the most toxic compounds are iridoid and syringin.

Clinical signs vary and may include: gastric upset, colic, contact dermatitis, respiratory irritation, increased heart rate, weak pulse, incoordination, paralysis, collapse, kidney damage, and possibly death.

There are some areas in which privet hedges form parts of the boundaries of pastures or fields. Stewards of these will need to be particularly vigilant about pasture health and rotations.

29/09/2025

Welcome back to our final installment of Mythinformation Mondays, our series about myths and misinformation about equines and plant toxicity.

Myth #9: Horses are big animals, so they can eat a lot of toxic plant material before it causes harm.

We have a view, likely fostered by Western movies and supported by the sheer size of horses, that they are tough and nearly indestructible animals. While it's true that horses in the wild are pretty darn hardy, our domestic equines aren't nearly as resilient as we want to believe.

Yes, a horse may be able to consume more toxic plant matter than, say, an alpaca, before feeling ill effects. However, that's largely because they're simply a much bigger animal. For the majority of plant toxins, they can't consume more per pound of body weight than any other grazing animal. In many cases, the opposite is true.

If there are a Shetland, a Welsh, an average-sized horse and a draft horse grazing together, and each consumes the identical amount of toxic plant material by weight, which would likely show clinical signs first? Logic and science say it would be the pony, but that doesn't mean the draft horse is tougher, simply larger.

As we've often mentioned, equines are monogastrics. This actually puts them at a disadvantage in regard to toxic plants. In ruminants, the rumen detoxifies plant material before it enters the gut. In equines, toxins leave the stomach and enter the gut, where the small intestine carries out much of the digestion. This means that toxins may more readily enter the blood stream without being detoxified.

There are some plants for which a mere mouthful can be deadly, as with yews (Taxus spp.) and oleander (Oleander spp.). Others like poison hemlock (Cicuta maculata) and foxglove (Digitalis spp.) required ingestion of just a pound or so before being lethal.

We'd love to think of our equines as invincible. We look at them as our heroes, our protectors, and our warriors. But however tough they may be on the trail or in the arena, their digestive system is another matter entirely. We need to remember this, especially where toxic plants are concerned.

Thanks for following this series on equines and mythinformation. If you have ideas or requests for other series you think your fellow equine stewards would appreciate, let us know!

28/09/2025

Just our kind of productive!

28/09/2025

The new issue of our E2E info-letter is now ready for subscribers to enjoy. :)

Info-letter subscriptions are how we're able to continue to donate a thousand plus hours a year to keeping your equines safe and your pastures healthy.

This week we explore: Panicum grasses and equines ~ Mad apple toxicity (Datura stramonium) ~ A great way to learn to identify plants ~ The farming of microbes by plants for nutrients ~ Is stockpile grazing an option for everyone? ~ Outsmarting w**ds ~ Cardiotoxins and equines ~ Some common plants that contain cardiotoxins ~ Vigilance in pastures after severe drought ~ Winter annuals that germinate in fall ~

Subscriptions are available monthly ($5.00, 4-5 issues) or yearly ($50.00, 52 issues). You can also order a sample issue for $1.00. The topics we include aren't covered in our FB posts, so you won't see the material repeated here. See the pinned post above for info on how to subscribe (Buy Me a Coffee, PayPal, Zelle, Venmo). We work hard and long to ensure that you get your money's worth. :)

The info-letters contain three pages of informative, original, easy-to read content for all equine stewards. An entire month of issues costs less than a stop at a coffee stand, so treat yourself or someone you care about, support the work we do, and keep your equines safe and your pastures healthy!

We'd like to thank our loyal subscribers for their support and also for their very kind words of appreciation. Those mean a lot and we're always gratified that folks are enjoying our efforts and knowledge!

27/09/2025

No post today. A few graphics to save:

26/09/2025

Time once again for our FrIDay toxic plant and w**d ID quiz!

Friends in the UK and eastern US states will be more likely to know today's species (or rather, genus, as there are multiple similar spp.). We won't worry about identifying to species, just the general name of the group is good.

The first person to comment with the correct ID will get a free month's subscription to our weekly info-letter. If you're a current subscriber we'll extend your subscription a month.

*Note: If you've already won a free month we kindly ask that you hold off answering until Sunday if it's not identified by then. We'll still give you another month free but this gives the new folks a chance to ID new plants for at least two days (cuz some of you guys are legit ID wizards). :)

We'd like this to be about really getting to know the plants so prefer no apps but do your thing.

So have fun with it and we hope to meet some new stewards who we haven't met before. (Not that we don't adore our regulars as well. 😘)

25/09/2025

Something we rarely talk about is toxicity from fungi. Yes, it's a thing. Let's take a look:

Most equine stewards are familiar with the types of fungi found in vascular plants, like ergot and molds. These organisms don't survive on their own and need a host. Claviceps spp., for instance, are endophytic fungi found in many regions. They contain ergot alkaloids and develop in the seed heads of grasses and cereal grains. This group is likely the most common cause of fungi toxicity in equines.

Some toxic fungi are what people generally think of as mushrooms. While toxic events are relatively rare from these species, they can and do occur. There are several species including tricholoma (Tricholoma paradinum), false morel (Gyromitra esculenta), and the ominous sounding death angels (Amanita spp.). Generally toxicity from them results from accidental ingestion while grazing in infested areas; they are most often found in wooded areas of above average moisture.

Another class is made up of what are usually considered molds. The species of particular interest for equines is stachybotrys (Stachybotrys atra). This is also known as black mold and can be found in grains or hay. Moisture is required for its growth/survival and the production of mycotoxins.

There is even one known toxic lichen; lichens are symbiotic associations between fungi and algae (or cyanobacterium). While some lichens are quite nutritious, like those that reindeer subsist on in the Arctic, ground lichen (Parmelia molliuscula) is known to be toxic to grazing animals.

Even though the thought of toxicity in yet another type of organism may be alarming, there's no need for panic. The takeaway message is to be aware: don't dismiss fungi as something animals won't eat or as harmless. Inspect hay, grain, feed, and mature pasture grasses. Immediately remove animals if something odd in appearance pops up or if equines show unusual signs or behaviors. It's our job to be vigilant and keep 'em safe.

Graphic is by researcher and educator Joseph DiTomaso of Cornell.

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The promotion of good pasture health has far-reaching impacts, including reducing the presence of toxic plants and w**ds. Just as our own diets create disease and disorder within our bodies, the diets of equines do the same for theirs. Yet far too often, equines (horses of all sizes and breeds, donkeys, mules, and ponies) graze in less-than-healthy pastures. The consequences of toxic plants and w**ds in pastures are many, and can be very severe. For instance: one mouthful of some ornamental shrubs can kill a horse within hours...eating a certain prickly w**d can create a deadly addiction...the wilted leaves of some shade and fruit trees can kill your horse...some toxins persist for years even when dried in hay…many invasive and noxious w**ds are highly toxic in amounts as little as eight ounces...and it can take months or years of ingesting some toxic plants and w**ds before symptoms even appear, at which time it may be too late for treatment. During years of graduate research and since, I have compiled a database of hundreds of plants that cause toxicity in equines. The effects of many can be fatal, sometimes very swiftly. Even if toxic events do not result in death, most result in high financial cost. Good vet care is expensive; tests and treatments can be outrageously high priced, and there’s no guarantee of success. Euthanasia and burials are pricey...and then there are emotional costs. The anguish when your horse is ill or hurting...or the pain of losing it...is excruciating. Knowing that it was preventable through awareness on your part is heartbreaking. Being proactive is a must. We cannot adopt a wait-and-see attitude where the issues of equine and pasture health are concerned. It is possible to greatly reduce, if not nearly eliminate, plant toxicity through proper pasture management and diligence. Good pasture management techniques also significantly increase forage production and reduce feed/hay costs, decrease the presence of w**ds and unwanted plants, improve soil condition, help keep the watershed healthy, benefit wildlife and your neighbors, and create a sustainable system. The purpose of this page and these materials is to educate and inform about good equine pasture management, plant toxicity, toxic invasive w**ds, and grazing issues. Equines have been our champions for centuries; now it is up to us to be theirs. Thank you, for their sake, for your interest and support.

12/10/2025

06/10/2025

02/10/2025

01/10/2025

30/09/2025

29/09/2025

28/09/2025

28/09/2025

27/09/2025

26/09/2025

25/09/2025

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