Are magic mushrooms dangerous to horses?

[Caroline]

I can't seem to find a sensible answer to this question on the web. Are magic mushrooms and other similar small mushrooms dangerous for horses to eat? I have loads in part of my paddock - and I can only assume there have been loads in the end of the paddock they are currently in that have probably already got eaten (deer graze there too, so may have been eaten by deer, but the deer have access everywhere so the fact I can see them in the part of the field the horses aren't in at the moment suggests the horses have eaten them where they are).

I am wondering whether this is something I need to be worrying about?

[alonerawnut]

There's this old IH thread:
ihdg.proboards.com/thread/109092

This American article has a section on Fungi and Mycotoxins:
www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/livestock/horses/facts/info_plantpois.htm


I think this is only poisonous plants, rather than fungi:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_plants_poisonous_to_equines

I think the general consensus is that horses won't eat mushrooms. If you are worried, it wouldn't hurt to pick them (perhaps with gloves in case they're poisonous to humans!) and chuck them out of the horses' reach.
Something that might be concerning is that other toxins / spores etc could be growing in areas that are hospitable to mushrooms: ie damp, dark areas. Could you fence these areas off?