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Discuss horse riding and ownership on our Horse forum.

Original poster

Acorn poisoning

32 replies

MitchiestInge · 06/10/2011 13:47

a horse at our new place is very very sick, prognosis not great :(

is anyone else seeing unusual volumes of acorns? my horse is obsessed with them, have actually brought him in until I can see about fencing off areas around oak trees - the not so great thing about field the size of a small county - although everyone is working hard to rake up as many as possible, vet said could take as few as ten Shock

OP posts:
Original poster
MitchiestInge · 06/10/2011 13:51

oh apparently there is something in h&h about exceptional amounts of acorns this year

thought wasn't imagining it

OP posts:
Mirage · 06/10/2011 18:42

I've noticed it too.Luckily our fields have had horses on for the past 70 odd years so there are no oak trees,but dpony will eat anything out on hacks so I have to walk alongside her and use grass reins too.There is nothing she won't eat,bar bananas.

I read somewhere that horses get addicted to them,Sad for the pony at your yard.

Haggyoldclothbatspus · 06/10/2011 23:17

Jeesus! 10?? The 2 highlands I poo pick for spend all day rooting them out and stuffing their faces! there are lots about this year, and Id imagine that todays wind will have them all on the floor!
DDs new forest was off colour a couple of weeks ago, and we put it down to acorns. She was laying down when we got to her to muck her out, and DD went in and sat with her. She would never normally let you near her when she was down! She was off her food and kept laying flat out and going to sleep. It was most odd!

AlpinePony · 07/10/2011 08:54

We've lost a few horses over the years to acorns, there was a very big acorn boom autumn 87 (?) - lost 4 in one week. :(

I am paranoid about acorns now.

Original poster
MitchiestInge · 07/10/2011 10:58

It would have to be ten very very green ones wouldn't it? Turned horse back out last night because he was going a bit mental in his new stable, probably more dangerous in there than out with the acorns - and they have grazed horses and cattle there for well over 200 years and nobody can remember a case of this ever being recorded before. The horse in question, different field, is sadly quite a delicate thing. She probably won't come right again but already had various pre-existing conditions.

Just heard that mine are bombing and bucking round the field this morning (cold and windy) so not much wrong with them, friskiness definitely not a symptom. Horse jumped 3'6" last night so might be celebrating?

Also heard they had turned pigs out early to clear the acorns in various places, that might be an option. Running out of stakes and tape!

OP posts:
Mirage · 07/10/2011 13:29

Pigs?!!!? If you put pigs anywhere near dpony,she'd be bucking about the field like yours,Mitchie.Grin Pigs and drains are her mortal enemies.

Well done on the 3ft 6!

Butkin · 08/10/2011 23:23

We could see massive amounts on our two oak trees in their summer paddock. We've electric taped them so they can't get to them but are fretting about them breaking through to them because there are thousands of them - a complete carpet of brown ones now. We did try raking and throwing them but just too many to do that now - would be never ending.

Lylah · 08/10/2011 23:34

As few as ten is a bit shocking!

I spent 2-3 hours last year raking up a huge mound of the pesky things and had the blisters to show for it! Seemed to work though.

Would I be right in thinking that it's not such a big deal once they go brown....?

Hmm
Mirage · 09/10/2011 09:34

If there are too many to remove,would spraying them with watered down manure make them unpalatable to horses? Or is that a stupid idea?

Haggyoldclothbatspus · 10/10/2011 00:05

Mitchy, are you talking about the New Forest pannage?
Every year, hundreds of pigs are let loose into the NF to eat the acorns, so that they dont poison the ponies.

BrutallySodomisedByAGoat · 10/10/2011 18:28

Yeah, new firriest, that's it. Good idea isn't it? Mine wouldn't be impressed, although they are happy with the sheep and the cow after initial extreme terror.

BrutallySodomisedByAGoat · 10/10/2011 18:30

FOREST obviously
WHY?
is firriest even a word?

Haggyoldclothbatspus · 10/10/2011 20:46

Is that you Mitchy? I love the new name!!

BrutallySodomisedByAGoat · 10/10/2011 21:11

Yes! But does my bum look sore big in this new guise? Talking of which, white breeches for SJ - WHY?

Haggyoldclothbatspus · 10/10/2011 22:07

No love, it looks delightfully skinny! Grin
White breeches EVER??? WHY???
Last pair of johds I owned were purple tartan. They were bad enough! I was one giant purple tartan arse! Confused

BrutallySodomisedByAGoat · 10/10/2011 23:46

Purple tartan sounds nice actually, have been a bit Envy of sharer B's purple jodhpurs. Think will campaign for change in rider attire for certain events, people with lumpy squishy bottoms should be allowed to wear jeans?

Lucyinthepie · 11/10/2011 08:50

So, going back to the topic of horses dying as a result of eating acorns. Does anyone know if the dead brown ones are as toxic as the green ones?

BrutallySodomisedByAGoat · 11/10/2011 09:49

I'm sure they have to be green, it's the same as the leaves isn't it - tannin? Tannic acid? Something?

Butkin · 11/10/2011 12:30

Went out on Sunday morning and raked up 3 large wheel barrow loads of them from the taped off parts of our fields because, having read this thread, I was nervous of them breaking through. Still got loads to fall though.

Haggyoldclothbatspus · 11/10/2011 23:09

I only ever ride in jeans! They hide a multitude of sins! Ours are stuffing acorns like addicts at the moment. Nobody has died so far! Confused

Lucyinthepie · 13/10/2011 09:00

I think it might be worth people reading this:
ihdg.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=gh11&action=display&thread=118105

BrutallySodomisedByAGoat · 13/10/2011 11:12

:( that's absolutely heart breaking

the mare from my first post is home, but they are not sure how badly liver is damaged - she does have some other problems too, sometimes it is better for it to be quick isn't it? unless am being unduly pessimistic

none of the horses in our field are getting to any green acorns or many brown so far, can't go on much longer can it?

TenderlyLovinglyByAGoat · 13/10/2011 12:07

(just trying different name, feels a bit less alarming)

TenderlyLovinglyByAGoat · 13/10/2011 12:08

(not that have been told off Hmm)

olderyetwider · 13/10/2011 12:26

Which are you finding more satisfactory, Mitchie?