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Post by Kelly Marks on Jan 9, 2010 17:44:53 GMT 1
I've been reading up on what a great tonic hawthorne is for horses (and humans) and I'm pondering the value of planting it around the fields for the horses to browse. Has anyone had any experience with horses and hawthorne?
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Post by specialsparkle3 on Jan 9, 2010 17:52:22 GMT 1
Well I hadn't heard that Kelly but we have lots of Hawthorne around the fields and yes they do eat it and as you know, they all look jolly well ;D
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allyny
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Post by allyny on Jan 9, 2010 18:01:00 GMT 1
Many years ago one of my horses had laminitis. A crusty old local recommended giving her hawthorn branches, which I did. I popped them into her stable (she was obviously on box rest) and she consumed them eagerly. I found this link www.horseandhound.co.uk/horse-care-index/1370/38634.htmlFunny how things in nature arrive just in time for the ailment! (ie spring, in this case) NB Horsey made a full recovery and hasn't had an attack since (10 years ago now) ally
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l17
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Post by l17 on Jan 9, 2010 18:02:27 GMT 1
My pony loves it. When he was recovering from laminitis in a bare paddock with hay he used to trim all the hedges and trees! I only found out afterwards that hawthorne has detoxing/ anti-inflammitory properties. The only problem is that he will try to browse trees and bushes at trot out on a hack!
Lx
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Post by Mellymoo on Jan 9, 2010 18:14:52 GMT 1
Ours have hawthorne hedges in/around the fields, and they do enjoy eating them.
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Post by Mrs Craig on Jan 9, 2010 18:35:05 GMT 1
The benefits are certainly well documented, but one caveat. Protect them fiercely when you plant, as the young whips won't take hold if the horses find em!!
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Post by Catrin on Jan 9, 2010 18:59:00 GMT 1
We had a house in which we were obliged to keep a "cattle proof hedge" between the paddock and the adjoining field. It was planted with a hawthorn hedge that was fifty years old, like the house.
Starting from scratch, you would need a fence as well until it's established and to make sure it's thick enough to act as a barrier, you would need to plant quite densely - going by the ones on the horses' fields where we are now, at least five plants a metre and maybe more depending on the height when you plant them. According to a local farmer, a new hedge will take about three to five years to establish. Apparently they grow in any type of soil or conditions.
The big advantage of the ones we have now, is that they are blackthorn, not hawthorn, so in the autumn we pick the sloes and while I'm typing this I can enjoy the sloe gin that we make from them!
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Post by iceberg on Jan 9, 2010 19:20:09 GMT 1
At my old yard there were loads of really old hawthorn hedges - they make brilliant shelter from the wind and rain, even on the worst windy rainy days they kept the horses sheltered.
And our horses also seemed quite happy nibbling the new shoots each spring. They also make good strong fencing imo, keep horses in and people out!.
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Post by hch4971 on Jan 9, 2010 19:26:46 GMT 1
I was really interested to see the bit about feeding it for laminitics, the only time we have had ponies come down with lami has been when they were in fields WITHOUT hawthorn hedges. Ive just thought it out and realised that where most of our fields have had hawthorn the twice we have had sufferers has been when we didnt.
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Post by Kelly Marks on Jan 9, 2010 19:46:13 GMT 1
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Post by portiabuzz on Jan 9, 2010 19:48:30 GMT 1
Good luck Kelly, looks a great idea
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Post by Furiey on Jan 9, 2010 19:57:54 GMT 1
I think they make the best fencing you can get. You'll need to protect the young plants until they are established, but once they get going and you get them to hedge height the horses will keep them pruned for you as they will only eat the young shoots. If you let a few go up as trees you then get overhead shelter that is covered in flowers in spring and provides loads of red berries to feed the birds in winter. If it were my choice I would have hawthorn hedges around anywhere I kept a horse. You can mix in a few other trees to give variation in height, you can also get some pink/red flowered hawthorn to add a bit of variety in colour to the white of the majority of the flowers.
My neighbour managed to get a load of plants free as part of a local hedge replanting initiative, may be worth seeing if there is anything going in your area.
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Post by Catrin on Jan 9, 2010 20:08:27 GMT 1
Find out about grants too, though they may only apply to farms. Your local agricultural college will be a good place to phone for information/ advice/ students who want to plant them …
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Post by eileen on Jan 9, 2010 20:12:21 GMT 1
;D ;D ;D love that website kelly! eileen x
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Post by feemac on Jan 9, 2010 20:58:51 GMT 1
Its a good website but I'd shop around they are more expensive than my garden centre for willow I would think its all bare root trees for hedging and I think Christies are cheaper for the beech too.
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