Planting a pony/horse friendly orchard

[castlelough]

Hi I'm looking for a little advice!

We have a very small field that used to be an orchard, and I am hoping to replant it this Autumn/Spring.
It is next to our dilapidated yard ( currently only one usuable stable ) so I would be hoping that in future it may occasionally be used for turning out ponies or horses.
So I was wondering whether I should plant the tallest-growing kind of apple trees?
Just wondering if anyone else has an orchard they use for turning out horses/ponies and how hard the horses are on your trees? How long we should wait before allowing horses/ponies graze there? What type rootstocks are most suited? Do you still need to protect your trees?
Going to post this in the gardening forum too, but really wanted to hear from equine owners!
Thanks :-)

[SaggyOldClothCatPuss]

Hmmm. Well, IMO... lovely and romantic as it sounds...
Grazing Horses in an orchard is at best impractical, at worst dangerous. Sorry.
In terms of impractical, the ponies will eat the trees, scratch on them until they break and probably chew the bark off. We often put buts of apple wood in the paddocks. The ponies love to chew it.
In terms of dangerous, when you get fruit on the trees, the horses will eat them, and eat them, and eat them. Probably to the point of colic, which could possibly be fatal.
It's a lovely idea, but if you want to plant something with a view to also adding horses at some point, think woodland trees, not oak, conifer or yew. Each tree will need a wire and rail frame round them to protect them from damage, and they will need to be quite big before you add the equines.
Sorry to rain on your parade.

[SaggyOldClothCatPuss]

There are ponies in the field next door to us with young trees. They have chewed this bark so badly they have ring barked them. They are dead.

[Booboostoo]

Unfortunately I have to agree with Saggy! Bad for the trees and bad for the horses.

[castlelough]

Okay thanks for the advice! Maybe I should plant my orchard elsewhere so! I didn't plan on it being the main grazing area for them, and could keep them out of it during fruiting periods, but it does sound as though that particular space might be better put to use for something else!

[SaggyOldClothCatPuss]

"Unfortunately I have to agree with Saggy..."

[Booboostoo]

Oooops, sorry! You know what I meant!

[Alameda]

yes it's awful when you are forced to agree with saggy

happened to me once :(

[SaggyOldClothCatPuss]

I know! I agree with me all the time! It's a burden!

[Alameda]

hahaha poor you

(please can you bring me a PIE it might cheer you up)

[SaggyOldClothCatPuss]

Alameda. I'm in Elveden today, not far!

[Alameda]

I got married there! are you at the estate? is something happening?

[SaggyOldClothCatPuss]

Yes. The big onion festival. A celebration of local produce. Food, music, cheese, pies...

[Alameda]

onion festival!

are you sure you're not in France?

[SaggyOldClothCatPuss]

Nope. I can't go to France. I don't have a passport!

[Alameda]

well enjoy my old stomping ground :)

[Booboostoo]

Since this thread has taken a bizarre turn to the surreal...I'm in France, come visit!

[SaggyOldClothCatPuss]

[prelim29]

Back to the orchard subject - a friend of mine's pony took it's eye out grazing in an orchard - lifted it's head to look at something and poked it's eye out on a branch.

[Butkin]

Hope you enjoyed Elvedon Onion Festival - should have gone as friends with the owners but too busy at BSPS.

Trees and horses don't seem to mix. We have two Oaks in our summer paddocks which do offer great shade but we're continually watching out for acorns and then have to electric fence off huge areas around them as we only get to rake up the acorns once a day.