Horses should not eat daisies as they can be toxic to them. Daisies can be harmful to horses due to their toxic properties.
Daisies are one of the most well-known and easily recognizable wildflowers. They are commonly seen blooming in fields and along trails. Their bright yellow petals and dark brown centers make them stand out from other plants. As horse owners, many of us have probably wondered – can our horses nibble on daisies if they come across them while grazing? The short answer is that in moderation, horses can eat daisies without issue. However, there are a few things horse owners should know about this plant.
What are Daisies?
Daisies belong to the Asteraceae plant family, which is one of the largest families of flowering plants. Some common varieties of daisies found in North America include common daisies, English daisies, Shasta daisies, and painted daisies. Daisies have slender green leaves arranged in a rosette shape around the plant’s center. Their bright yellow or white flower heads are composed of many small, tightly packed florets.
Daisies grow as both annual and perennial plants. They thrive in sunny, open areas like meadows, fields, and along forest edges. Daisies are considered beneficial wildflowers that provide food and habitat for wildlife like bees, butterflies, and songbirds. For this reason, some land managers allow or encourage daisies and other wildflowers to grow on rangelands and pastures.
Nutritional Value of Daisies
Daisies are low in calories and contain vitamins A, C, and K as well as small amounts of B vitamins, calcium, iron, magnesium, and phosphorus. They have a similar nutritional profile to other leafy greens and wildflowers that horses may graze on. Daisies do not provide significant nourishment on their own but can add variety to a horse’s diet when consumed occasionally.
Are Daisies Toxic to Horses?
In small amounts, daisies are generally considered non-toxic to horses. They do not contain any harmful compounds or toxins that could cause illness. The biggest concern with daisies relates to their potential nitrate and oxalate content if consumed in very large quantities. High levels of nitrates can sometimes be found in plants after drought or frost events and could potentially cause nitrate poisoning in horses. Oxalates can also bind with calcium if consumed in excessive amounts, reducing calcium absorption.
However, for a horse to ingest enough daisies to encounter toxicity from these plant compounds would be highly unlikely during normal grazing. An acute toxic reaction is extremely rare from daisies alone. Horses appear to self-regulate intake and will not compulsively eat large volumes of this plant when other forage is available. Therefore, daisy plants scattered at normal levels within a pasture pose no threat to grazing horses.
Potential Digestive Upset
While daisies themselves are not inherently toxic, in some sensitive individual horses, excessive consumption could potentially cause mild gastrointestinal upset like colic. This is more likely to occur if daisies make up a very high proportion of the available forage. The small, tightly packed florets could also lead to more sand or small sticks being accidentally ingested compared to grass forage. Preventative dental care is even more important for horses that graze on daisies or other small-leafed plants.
As long-time grazers, horses have evolved to consume small amounts of many different plant types as part of a balanced diet. Occasional nibbling on daisies provides variety without harm when horses can also select other forages. Ensuring free-choice hay and pasture grasses are always available helps horses self-regulate intake to avoid digestive issues. Most horses encounter and eat daisies during normal grazing without incident.
Managing Daisies in Pastures
If daisies become excessively dominant in a pasture, it may be preferable to manage the pasture to encourage a more balanced mix of grass and broadleaf plants. Overly dense daisy patches could potentially cause preferential grazing and reduce the vigor and coverage of more desirable forage grasses. Spot treatment with selective herbicides may help check the spread of daisies without removing them entirely from the ecosystem. Rotational grazing practices can also promote pasture diversity by limiting overgrazing of preferred plants like daisies. In general, allowing daisies and other native wildflowers at normal background levels provides benefits for horses, habitat, and land management.
Conclusion
In summary, daisies themselves do not pose a significant health threat to horses when consumed in natural, small amounts during normal grazing. These colorful wildflowers provide decoration to pastures and supplement a horse’s varied diet with minimal calories, vitamins, and minerals. While excessive consumption could cause digestive upset in very sensitive individuals, most horses encounter daisies routinely without ill effect. As long as horses have continued access to a free-choice of forages like grass hay, occasional curiosity bites or accidental ingestion of daisies should not be cause for concern. With sensible management to maintain pasture biodiversity, allowing daisies and other wildflowers benefits both equine and ecosystem health alike.