[Arid_gardener] screen plants for horse property

[Janet Howe]

Original Message:

marc summers
85262
msummers at phsg.com

i want to screen part of my horse property with trees and shrubs.i was
thinking of citrus and eremophila .im concerned that they could be toxic
to the horses.do you know if they are safe also can you suggest plants
that would be safe



Answer:

Marc, I do not have first hand experience with Eremophila, but below are
a couple of references I found during an internet search, and it appears
this is not a plant you would want around your horses:

http://farrer.csu.edu.au/ASGAP/APOL7/sep97-4.html
http://www.rirdc.gov.au/reports/HOR/99-49.pdf

I do have first hand experience with citrus around my horses - they
absolutely LOVE them!  If you want to have the citrus fruit for your own
use and/or have a nicely leafed out screen, I'd not recommend them.  Not
because of toxicity, but because my horses absolutely will not leave
these trees alone.  The first year I had my citrus planted (a lemon, a
grapefruit and two orange) and the horses were allowed into the pasture
where these trees were, they stripped the leaves and ate the fruit
almost immediately.  They were so fond of the orange trees that I ended
up loosing both of them.   There were no ill effects to the horses from
their "grazing" on the trees, but the trees sure took a beating!  Of
course, if you set the trees outside the fence line, this wouldn't be a
problem.

I have had great success with mesquite trees around my property.  If you
plant the trees young and allow them to take the form they naturally
want, i.e.,  rounded and draping to the ground, they make an awesome
screen.  I was at first somewhat hesitant to have them around the horses
due to the thorns on the mesquite trees I have, but my horses have been
around them for 7 years and have not had a problem with the thorns and
have left the trees alone.  However, that being said, all my horses are
older and very calm, I'd not want a baby or young horse around them, so
I would choose a thornless variety if I had younger or more active
animals.

Janet Howe
Master Gardener volunteer
Maricopa County Cooperative Extension