Drought Strategies To Help Your Horses

can give your horse some variety and green succulent food.
Check that weeds you have are safe for your horses to eat.
As an example when I did a survey on my own place I found Tree lucerne or Tasagate Cleavers sticky weed Willow Black Thistle like Scotch thistle BidgeeWidgee Buzzies Slender Thistle Fennel Spiny Rushes Sweet Briar Common Sow Thistle milk thistle Dandelion Nettles and of course blackberries all of which are edible and not poisonous to horses.
It is helpful to also identify all those plants that are poisonous and know the symptoms they produce for if there is a lack of roughage horses will eat those plants so they should be removed from their pastures. There is an excellent book called a Field Guide to Weeds in Australia by Charles Lamp and Frank Collett that will help you with identification as it has clear photos and thorough descriptions.
The drought booklet you have downloaded lists all the poisonous plants and a good herb book will tell you what herbs can be used for horses or click here for Country Park Herbs web site. Many herbs are classified as weeds so dont be put off by that just do the research.
In most cases wellfed horses will select only those plants that are safe or helpful for them to eat and these can include some Australian natives. When we go for a trail ride I always allow my horses to nibble on things they fancy so they have shown me they like Dolly bush various sedges and rushes native tussock grasses gorse and thistle flowers. All these plants can provide nutrients the horse needs so taking your horse out for a grazing ride is most helpful. Its also a good way to warm up as you leave and satisy their urge to eat then cool them down the last kilometre home.
Check water holes regularly to ensure they are clean and safe.
The third important factor in your drought strategy is to consider water and minerals. Water is vital and it must be a clean reliable source that is checked regularly.
As dams get lower algae can cause a bad smell which could put some horses off drinking enough. As the water lowers also check that the sides dont become too steep or boggy for the horse to access the water. It may be better to syphon the water into a trough or fence the dam