AngC
Well-Known Member
In another thread, a member inquired about using cedar mulch as a temporary solution to a drainage/mud problem. There were a couple responses saying that cedar is toxic to horses, which immediately set my worry-machine into high gear. My track record with 4 horses in less than 2 years is: 1 dead, 1 blind, and 2 healthy (so far.) We have cedar trees in our pastures; they shed litter that is essentially mulch-like, so my optimum solution would be to immediately get rid of them all if they’re toxic. That’s easier said than done. [To stay on topic and not make this too long, I won’t write about the dead horse and the blind one and won’t write about the cedar tree problem. If somebody was interested I would write separate posts—let me know.]
Some (if not all) of the cedar trees are going to have to go at some point, but for now I had the problem on the back burner. But I figured I better research this some more in case I have to reprioritize. Researching on the internet is frustrating (right now, I’m thinking of the State Farm advertisement with the French model... “They can’t put anything on the internet if it isn’t true”)
I haven’t reached any conclusions on cedar toxicity but wanted to share a link with you and also some random “things that make you go ‘hmph?’”
I focused primarily on Thuja plicata aka western red cedar, since that’s our variety, and specifically on red cedar trees in horse pastures, not shavings for bedding. (Luckily we haven’t been using cedar shavings in the stalls, because the guy at the local co-op told us to use pine shavings, not cedar shavings. But thinking about it, maybe it was dumb to follow his advice and why would they sell cedar shavings if they’re unsafe? Anyway, back to trees.)
I checked out some university sites with lists of plants toxic to horses. I didn’t find red cedar on any of those lists. But oddly, the ASPCA lists a white cedar as toxic to horses, whereas the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture lists an eastern white cedar as a “safe tree” for horse pastures.
One of the best toxic plant databases I found was created for a masters’ thesis at University of Idaho. His thesis also makes for some interesting reading, if you’re into that sort of thing; some of his information made me rethink what I plant into our landscaping.
http://www.cnr.uidah...rses/index.html
The EPA has some registered uses of cedar oil in insect repellents for horses that are applied directly to the animal including no-rinse application. I didn’t track them all down, but one is called CedarCide.
I learned that in 2011 a Canadian dermatologist launched a product aimed at treating rosacea in humans (Riversol for Rosacea.) The product line contains thujaplicin derived from western red cedar and is touted as being “effective on even the most sensitive skin.” If you can smear it on humans, does that mean it's safe for horses?
o.k., I give up; I don’t know if those darn trees are toxic or not.
Some (if not all) of the cedar trees are going to have to go at some point, but for now I had the problem on the back burner. But I figured I better research this some more in case I have to reprioritize. Researching on the internet is frustrating (right now, I’m thinking of the State Farm advertisement with the French model... “They can’t put anything on the internet if it isn’t true”)
I haven’t reached any conclusions on cedar toxicity but wanted to share a link with you and also some random “things that make you go ‘hmph?’”
I focused primarily on Thuja plicata aka western red cedar, since that’s our variety, and specifically on red cedar trees in horse pastures, not shavings for bedding. (Luckily we haven’t been using cedar shavings in the stalls, because the guy at the local co-op told us to use pine shavings, not cedar shavings. But thinking about it, maybe it was dumb to follow his advice and why would they sell cedar shavings if they’re unsafe? Anyway, back to trees.)
I checked out some university sites with lists of plants toxic to horses. I didn’t find red cedar on any of those lists. But oddly, the ASPCA lists a white cedar as toxic to horses, whereas the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture lists an eastern white cedar as a “safe tree” for horse pastures.
One of the best toxic plant databases I found was created for a masters’ thesis at University of Idaho. His thesis also makes for some interesting reading, if you’re into that sort of thing; some of his information made me rethink what I plant into our landscaping.
http://www.cnr.uidah...rses/index.html
The EPA has some registered uses of cedar oil in insect repellents for horses that are applied directly to the animal including no-rinse application. I didn’t track them all down, but one is called CedarCide.
I learned that in 2011 a Canadian dermatologist launched a product aimed at treating rosacea in humans (Riversol for Rosacea.) The product line contains thujaplicin derived from western red cedar and is touted as being “effective on even the most sensitive skin.” If you can smear it on humans, does that mean it's safe for horses?
o.k., I give up; I don’t know if those darn trees are toxic or not.
