Endurance.Net Ridecamp Archives

Our horses all nibble on pine needles now and then to various extents, and have never suffered any ill effcts.  One of them, my "hoover horse" will even eat dead pine needles off the ground if he's tied somewhere and there's nothing else he can get in his mouth.  Doesn't look very tasty to me, but he doesn't seem to mind them.

 

Dawn Carrie, Texas

and Sundance (when I'm hungry, anything is food...and I'm always hungry!)

 

On 10/11/07, Kathie Ford <mspooh17@xxxxxxx> wrote:

I just have a question in regards to horses eating pine needles.
 
We have a pasture w/pine trees in there with the horses, and we had to sort of "help" one fall last night as it had died from bugs.  After the last rain the other night, when I went out to feed my horses I noticed immediately that the tree was severely leaning!  So my husband cut it down when he got home right away.  About a 75' use-to-be-beautiful ponderosa. 
 
My horses were very curious (had them in the barn during the "tree falling") once I put them back out and we were trying to clean up the mess. Curious they were snooping all around this downed tree.  Even playfully jumping over it...
 
Anyway, a few of my horses were nibbling on the pine needles so I was a little concerned about them eathing them. We  were trying to clean up the mess pretty quickly.  Took a few hours.
 
So, my question is does anybody know if horses nibbling on pine needles is harmful to them?  They are pretty well fed as I free feed them but they sure seemed to nibble on the needles.  They were green and somewhat soft. I was surprised that there was anything green left on the tree frankly as it was pretty dead.
 
We were also lucky we decided to take it down yesterday too as my husband pulled off some of the bark and there was a BIG crack in the trunk where some bugs had a good meal and weakend  it.  I didn't see any sign of beetles though. Just lots of weird bugs...euuuuuuuuuuuu....oh, and some acorns that some squirrels had stuffed away!  Means we might get a little snow this year!! 
 
Anyway if anyone knows the answer thanks in advance. I just want to make sure it won't hurt them. We've got it all cleaned up now. But leaving the tree truck for jumping exercise!  They seem to like it. Even my suspicious Mark of Fame mare Lilli. I was surprised and pleased she free jumped it for fun...:)
 
cheers,
kathie

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