Frequently (and not so frequently) Asked Questions
BRIEF: Are any of these plants poisonous to horses?
QUESTION:
I have been searching for months, for information on what kinds of trees are
poisonous to horses, and have found nothing until I found your page. I am
preparing to build a new home on cleared farm land and establish pastures for
my two horses. I would like to plant trees along the fence line to provide
shade for the horses and for eye appeal. The following are the trees I am
interested in using: Pin Oak, Leyland Cyprus, Cedar, Mimosa, Crepe Myrtle,
Bradford Pear, Fruiting Cherry (sour cherries that you make pie from),
Kwansan Cherry (ornamental), Peach, and Dogwood (pink and white). The horses
will eventually be able to reach these trees so it is paramount that I do not
plant anything that may be toxic to them in any way.
Could you provide me with any information about these trees or direct me to
websites or books or anything else that I can find out this information. The
last thing I want to do is poison my horses.
ANSWER:
The wilted branches from the cherries and peach would have elevated cyanide
concentrations, so you will want to keep the horses away from any large windfalls
from those trees.