“Not only are herbicides harmful to your horse’s sensitive digestive tract, but there are many
Sow Your Seeds
common herbs that grow in pastures that can be an asset to your horse’s health.” Harmany Equine Dr. Joyce Harman
While there are some weeds that are indeed toxic to horses, a quick walk around the pasture with a county extension agent will let horse owners know what needs to go. However, many pasture “weeds” are harmless—even beneficial—for horses.
“While a lot of the most common pasture herbs are passed off as weeds these days, the benefits of such herbs have been recognized for decades…even centuries,” said Harman.
There are a handful of herbs that are common throughout the country that horses would naturally seek out if they could free graze. Many of them are currently growing in your pastures if you have not treated or cut them all down.
To help give your horses the benefits of healthy herbs, you can plant herbs in small patches around the farm, along fence rows, in gardens or window boxes. If horses do not have access to them directly, you can harvest the plants and feed them like treats.
For those horse owners who are interested in increasing pasture diversity for their horses but not sure where to start, Dr. Joyce Harman has helped revive a product called Sow Your Seeds Pasture Blend. The mixture contains perennials and self-sowing annuals that horses would naturally seek out if they could free graze the countryside. Like many of the herbs on this list, the blend can withstand heavy traffic and grow in most of the country.
Interested in learning more about how different herbs aid in horse health? Visit Dr. Harman’s website. Want to check out Sow Your Seeds? Click here.
Joyce Harman graduated in 1984 from Virginia Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine. Her practice is 100% holistic, using acupuncture, chiropractic, herbal medicine and homeopathy to treat horses to enhance performance and those with a variety of chronic conditions, with an emphasis on those with Lyme Disease. Her publications include the Pain Free Back and Saddle Fit Books, which are the only books written independently of a saddle company. She maintains an informative website: www.harmanyequine.com.
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