# Safe trees for horses



## Cathy_H (Aug 18, 2006)

I know this has been discussed before BUT I can't find my info




: ..................... I want to plant some trees that are safe for horses  on our new property that we are buying......... I have done an internet search & cannot find what I am looking for............................................. Also anyone here know trees really well. I have a picture of leaves & a small tree that I need help in identifying. They are popping up all over our property here & I would like to take them to the new property if I can identify them & IF they are safe...... The local nurseryman called it a poison ivy tree because the leaves look like poison ivy....



: .......................................................... *Listed below are some of the trees that came up on the old forum post that are safe for horses. Anyone want to add to it?* Anyone have any of these that they would NOT reccommend due to OTHER reasons?

Globe willows

aspen

green ash

greenspire

redmond

lindens

european hornbeams

willow

little leaf -greenspire

elm

honeylocust


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## attwoode (Aug 18, 2006)

I'm not familiar with many of those species but particularly question the honeylocust, because of it's thorns and potential toxins that exist in similar trees. Here in Michigan I'm comfortable with sugar maple, white ash, and white pine. They all look natural on the farm and I haven't found any problem for horses. Ash does have a disease here now, so I'll have to stick to sugar maple and pine in the future.


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## Cathy_H (Aug 18, 2006)

no no no no thorns :no: - thanks attwoode for your input............. I'll mark the honey locust off the list.


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## Loess Hills (Aug 18, 2006)

Austrian pines are a fairly fast growing beautiful tree which really spreads out. Of course, Colorado or blue spruce makes a great tree anywhere.

We have some river willows which get quite tall and provide good shade. The limbs are soft though, so if hit by a good wind, they're always losing twigs and branches. The Queen Maple is a green maple that grows quickly and is not harmful to horses. we've got a couple of those we planted in the pasture. We've put horse-fencing around all our trees in the pasture, because during the winter the horses will eat the bark and kill the tree.

Looks like you've got some good selections in your listing.


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## Cathy_H (Aug 18, 2006)

> Austrian pines are a fairly fast growing beautiful tree which really spreads out.


Do you have any of these? I've had the booklet to order for a couple of years but have not. Have always heard that anything that grows fast is weaker. The wind seems to blow harder on our new land so we need sturdy trees.


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## susanne (Aug 18, 2006)

nononono......

honey locust (Gleditsia triacanthos) is not thorny and no relation whatsoever to black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia). This is the problem with common names: They can be very misleading...same with "hemlock." The tall fir tree, western or mountain hemlock, is quite safe, where as the herbaceous plant, hemlock, is deadly. Imagine if I told you hemlock was safe, meaning the fir tree, and you thought I meant theother kind? When making a decision vital to your horses' health, lcheck the latin name to be doubly safe.

That said, some sites list honey locust as completely non-toxic, while Purdue questions it. I'm not thrilled about any plant bearing small "bird" berries.

I have a list of supposedly horse-safe plants, shrubs and trees, but I would not go by anyone's list other than that of your local extension agent.


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## alphahorses (Aug 19, 2006)

susanne said:


> I have a list of supposedly horse-safe plants, shrubs and trees, but I would not go by anyone's list other than that of your local extension agent.


I agree ... talk to someone who really knows ... extension office is the best place to start. That's what they are trained for and often their advise and services are free


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## Cathy_H (Aug 19, 2006)

> but I would not go by anyone's list other than that of your local extension agent.


Guess I could do that again... Few years back I called them about something else but I was not impressed with the info given me. Perhaps I'll get to talk to a different person next time.......Definately don't want a tree that drops berries, those helicopter thingy's and such.......Thanks all.


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## keeperofthehorses (Aug 19, 2006)

Willows -- Globes, Weeping, Corkscrew, All safe, all messy to a certain extent. Thirsty.

Poplars, Cottonwoods, Aspen -- do come in seedless/cottonless hybrids. Thirsty. My cottonwood (8 years old)snapped at the ground in a bad wind storm last week. So yes, there are stronger, more long-lived trees out there. Aspen are super picky about location.

Green Ash -- Males are seedless and there are all male cultivars.

Lindens -- Large-leaf (Redmond), Little-leaf (Greenspire). One of my favorites (very tolerant of hungry goats). Can be messy, attracts bees and other beneficials, but so worth it. A symbol of love.

European Hornbeams -- grow in a pyramidal shape, so great for windbreaks & fencelines. Not messy.

Elms -- Great shade, fast growing, not suitable for areas where Dutch Elm Disease has been a problem.

Zelkova -- a relative to the elm, resistant to Dutch Elm. I had this in with my horses (who promptly ate them) but have not confirmed that they are on the safe list. Worth looking into though.

Honeylocust -- Different from the Black Locust, not toxic (mine tested that theory, and the trees did not survive the abuse, horses were fine) 'Shademaster' and 'Skyline' are impressive shade trees. Messy at drop, but leaves are so fine and light that they just disappear.

Norway Maples (Acer platanoids, I hope I remember that right)-- Large palm-shaped leaves with FIVE points (think Canada's flag). Turn YELLOW in fall. <If it has leaves with 3 points that turn orange or red, it is NOT SAFE (Red Maples, Acer rubrum).> Big tree, deep shade. Tolerant of chewers so far. There are seedless hybrids, one of which I got and reverted to seeding this year.

Silver Maples (blanking on the botanical name) -- Very pretty, hybrids are available that are seedless and stronger than the species. I have a 'Silver Queen' that I love.

London Planetree -- BIG shade, drops prickly seed balls that work great at keeping cats out of flower beds.

Austrian Pines -- Are great if you don't mind winter shade as well. Great for windbreaks. Fast growing for a pine, but quite strong (mine survived 70-90 mph gusts last week). Give the ponies nice piney-breath when they chew on them, but they also tend to get sap all over them in the process.

I have pictures of most of these (including a Red Maple for comparison) that I can email to anyone if they like.

I have a booklet I wrote years back somewhere in my files, "Landscaping for Livestock". I need to find it and scan it to a PDF file so I can post it here.


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## Charlotte (Aug 19, 2006)

Cottonwoods! We have just planted 6 to replace the black wlanuts we had to remove from the horse areas. Very fast growing if you keep them well watered. They make a beautiful tree and good shade.

This is interesting.......I'll watch it closely.

Charlotte


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## Loess Hills (Aug 19, 2006)

Cathy -

Here's a picture of some of the Austrian pines..........these are about ten years old and have gotten huge. They're the ones pictured behind the dog, husband, and golf cart! They make a great windbreak and shelter. The birds nest in them now and bunnies love to play back there. Towards the left of the picture are a Big Leaf Linden (a nice beautiful upright tree), and a Silver Queen Maple.






Keeperofthehorses has some excellent suggestions - Green Ash is one we planted in our back pasture, and the Norway Maples are also good, slow growing but very dense. Charlotte's suggestion of Cottonwoods is also great........!

This is a timely and interesting post! Fall is the perfect time for tree-planting, and we all want safe trees around our horses. Thanks Cathy for bringing up the subject.


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