Plants Toxic to Horses

If you have horses and a garden youll have to be careful that you do not have certain plants on your property. These common weeds trees plants and shrubs shown below are toxic to horses and ponies. Learn to identify these plants in your pastures and yards and be sure to remove them as soon as possible to keep your horses safe.
Deadly nightshade can thrive even in dry conditions. It yields a bellshaped purple flower and the small round fruit looks like a large black currant of a deep shiny blackpurple color. All parts of this plant are toxic to humans and pets. The fruit is somewhat sweet therefore adding to its danger.

The leaves are dark green and smoothtextured somewhat similar to that of a tomato plant. It belongs to the same family as the tomato potato and pepper plants.
Typically horses accidentally may ingest a toxic plant because it has been baled into the hay. Signs of nightshade poisoning may include1
coliclike symptoms
loss of muscle control unable to rise
disorientation stumbling or other neurological signs
dilated pupils
death if consumed in large enough amounts
The flowers are yellow and cupshaped and plants have sharply lobed leaves. The grass around buttercup plants may be well grazed. If there is more desirable feed available horses will generally avoid eating buttercups because of their acrid taste and tendency to blister the mouth. After a hard frost or if dried in hay buttercups are no longer toxic.
Buttercups may cause1
irritation of the mouth area such as blisters drooling
Deadly Nightshade

Deadly nightshade can thrive even in dry conditions. It yields a bellshaped purple flower and the small round fruit looks like a large black currant of a deep shiny blackpurple color. All parts of this plant are toxic to humans and pets. The fruit is somewhat sweet therefore adding to its danger The leaves are dark green and smoothtextured somewhat similar to that of a tomato plant. It belongs to the same family as the tomato potato and pepper plants Typically horses accidentally may ingest a toxic plant because it has been baled into the hay. Signs of nightshade poisoning may include1
coliclike symptoms
loss of muscle control unable to rise
disorientation stumbling or other neurological signs
dilated pupils
death if consumed in large enough amounts

Buttercups

The flowers are yellow and cupshaped and plants have sharply lobed leaves. The grass around buttercup plants may be well grazed. If there is more desirable feed available horses