# Are sweet gum tree's toxic?



## Mini Love (Sep 10, 2011)

We are getting some tree work done, & I wanted to see if sweet gum trees are toxic to miniature horses... I hope not we are down to that being there shade trees, We found a GREAT tree man Great Prices & plan on him coming back to trim the sweet gum tree, I want it to bush out for more shade.. we are getting rid of a bunch of sickamore ( sp ) trees.

Well if any one knows - I googled it but didnt find a 100% answer.


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## Mini Love (Sep 10, 2011)

Mini Love said:


> We are getting some tree work done, & I wanted to see if sweet gum trees are toxic to miniature horses... I hope not we are down to that being there shade trees, We found a GREAT tree man Great Prices & plan on him coming back to trim the sweet gum tree, I want it to bush out for more shade.. we are getting rid of a bunch of sickamore ( sp ) trees.
> 
> Well if any one knows - I googled it but didnt find a 100% answer.


or a link to a toxic list ????


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## lucky lodge (Sep 10, 2011)

dont no if your gum trees are the same as ours in australia but my prego mare was eating gum leaves and shes fine..............hope that helps


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## Mini Love (Sep 11, 2011)

lucky lodge said:


> dont no if your gum trees are the same as ours in australia but my prego mare was eating gum leaves and shes fine..............hope that helps



Thank You for your input, we just moved here and i never even heard of a gum tree LOL the tree man said they get pickery small balls type things, and that made me worry that if it drops these things in the pasture - would they be safe if they would nibble on them, they can reach the leaves. I havent had any other reply's so I dont think these tree are something to worry about.

Thanks again


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## Nancy (Sep 11, 2011)

We have a lot of gum trees in Mississippi and a lot of them along our pasture fences. I did check on them and from what I have read they are not harmful, it may sound yucky but, I did read that people have chewed the sap as gum, maybe that is where there name came from.LOL

"Pioneers once peeled the bark and scraped the resin-like solid to produce chewing gum. Sweetgum is a favorite landscape tree due to its Twigs and leaves"

www.sfrc.ufl.edu/4h/sweetgum/sweetgum.htm


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## Mini Love (Sep 11, 2011)

Nancy said:


> We have a lot of gum trees in Mississippi and a lot of them along our pasture fences. I did check on them and from what I have read they are not harmful, it may sound yucky but, I did read that people have chewed the sap as gum, maybe that is where there name came from.LOL
> 
> "Pioneers once peeled the bark and scraped the resin-like solid to produce chewing gum. Sweetgum is a favorite landscape tree due to its Twigs and leaves"
> 
> www.sfrc.ufl.edu/4h/sweetgum/sweetgum.htm


Thank You - It is in there pasture, they can reach the leaves I hope the dont bite at taste the bark.. I could see it now my fatties walking around chewing gum



They will chew to taste everything.. so far the bark is fine.

Thanks again


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## madmax (Sep 11, 2011)

Mini Love said:


> We are getting some tree work done, & I wanted to see if sweet gum trees are toxic to miniature horses... I hope not we are down to that being there shade trees, We found a GREAT tree man Great Prices & plan on him coming back to trim the sweet gum tree, I want it to bush out for more shade.. we are getting rid of a bunch of sickamore ( sp ) trees.
> 
> Well if any one knows - I googled it but didnt find a 100% answer.


I have had my minis living under sweet gum trees for 25 years now and never had a problem with them eating the bark, or the leaves, live or dead, or the prickly seed balls. They make great shade trees and grow fast. I have had a limb blow down and they do not start nibbling on it before I can remove it. The oak trees-they will do that and I quickly remove any limbs as I am a worry-wart about that.


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## drmatthewtaylor (Sep 11, 2011)

Not that I know of, but toxicity questions are hard as no one has them ALL memorized.

What I wanted everyone to be aware of is that horses are livestock and as such your local ASC office or State University should help you.

Your tax dollars at work.

Dr Taylor


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## Kawgirl (Sep 12, 2011)

I have a LOT of gum trees in my yard and pasture. They produce a lot of those prickly gum balls that get stuck in te horses hooves and make you fall down if your not careful!



I try to rake them up in areas where we walk often.


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## Mini Love (Sep 12, 2011)

Kawgirl said:


> I have a LOT of gum trees in my yard and pasture. They produce a lot of those prickly gum balls that get stuck in te horses hooves and make you fall down if your not careful!
> 
> 
> 
> I try to rake them up in areas where we walk often.



Yea I thank thats a good idea to rake them up. We only have 1 in the pasture the others are on the out side and away from the fence line But give off shade through the day. so I will be raking them up, the ball things might be the seeds to I dont want any more then i have.. We have so many trees and none that we want .. The sycamore's are great shade but they are all over 70 feet tall and now putting things in danger so they are comming down.. Pleace was really over grown when we bought it, We even have a lil 25 tree orcherd, we are tying to save I have peach trees that are pushing 35 feet tall.. alone with apple & pear trees that were never trimmed.. we are going to purne them way back & hope for the best.

If there is any one near me in Lewis county TN that needs tree work done, I have a CO for you that cant be beat..... He dropped 7 trees for 350.00 all 7 trees were over the mini barn & house & had to be guided away from them with cable - all 7 trees were over 70 feet tall, job done in about 4 hours. NO DAMAGE at all, trees went were he planed, he took the large wood we agreed to clean up the brush to help with the price, we are doing alot of stuff our selfs so whats a lil more bush if it saves us some money

This is pics of the trees he removed.. I dont have the afters but if someone wants to see let me know... This was NOT a job for us to fool with LOL & we have 20 more trees we will have him back to do.


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