Are purple like thistles poisonous to horses?

Question

i know yellow star thistles are put ive got a purple thistle that my pony sometimes eat and im wandering if its poisonous. by the way i try to stop her so not bad owner. ive even blocked it off.

Answer 1

No...thanks to my horses...there is not ONE left in my pasture areas.  I still fight and dig them buggers up in my yard and garden areas.  When I tether mine in those areas...they search them out and eat them.

Answer 2

They're certainly not poisonous to Highland Ponies!  They're a bit spikey obviously, which puts a few equines off - but my Highland has always braved the pricklyness... they must taste pretty darn good, as he'd prefer to struggle to get his mouth round a thistle than go for some easy grass :)

Answer 3

NO THEY LOVE THEM!*

DONT WORRY A TINY BIT!! #

Answer 4

Purple thistles are not dangerous at all, any horse i have known acts like the purple thistle is a treat, and they absolutely love them.

Don't worry your pony will be just fine, and healthy, lucky to have an owner that cares about its well being. =]

Answer 5

No they love them. My horse stops along the ride if she sees some to eat. I've tasted them and they are very sweet, but too prickly for humans!

Answer 6

No they are not poissonous my horse eats them and he is perfectly fine!

Answer 7

You seem to have taken the right precaution. Read the extract take from an article"Poisonous Plants For Horses".

One very prolific weed is Salvation Jane, also known as Patterson's Curse, which continues to flourish during times of drought.

Horses can die after eating Salvation Jane. The toxin is stored in the liver causing damage even after many years and unfortunately there's probably a lot of horse and ponies that have eaten it and had liver damage but are not yet showing any symptoms.

NEVER put your horse or pony in a paddock containing Salvation Jane.

If you are unsure what it looks like and there's a purple flowering plant in your horse's paddock, don't put him or her in there until you're sure it's not Salvation Jane, because it's potentially dangerous.

Answer 8

No they are not bad at all! Horses love them, and thistles are sometimes used in herbal remedices for horses! They are difficult to eat, we sometimes cut them and let them dry overnight, then let the horses eat them.

In the wild, horses would be subject to all sorts of poisonous or beneficial herbs, which is natural. Let nature be, they know what is not good for them and will leave it.

Answer 9

theyre fine its ragwort you really want to worry about! blasted stuff kills horses! but purple thistles - the most they will do is slightly prod your pony! lol.