>>>> Are those buttercups?
I've heard them called that, along with a bunch of other things. So...please, list, don't think I'm recommending them as pasture grasses because I'm not! I don't remember the scientific name, but they have a bunch of common names. Our horses hate them and won't eat them. I've heard that they are poisonous, but I think it takes a lot to do harm, and my horses avoid them like the plague. They are rampant in this area in the spring. We've tried and tried to eliminate them, but to no avail. Round-up will kill them, but they come right back I guess from seeds...and I hate to use so many chemicals. The only use I've found for them is that they make pretty backgrounds in the pictures. I've never heard of a horse in this area being poisoned by them, and you probably can't find a pasture in the county that doesn't have some, and most have a lot. I WOULD worry if the horses didn't have other food sources, fearing they might get desperate and eat too many of them. I make sure that the horses have some grassy spots and/or hay when they are growing, but I don't know of a practical way to eliminate them. We've tried. The only way I know to eliminate them is to plant and pamper the pasture grasses that thrive here...and really, fescue is all that reliably thrives here sufficiently well to choke out the unwanted weeds. To make fescue thrive, we need to fertilize it once or twice a year, and you can imagine what that would do to the Icelandics' weights, and for any insulin resistance tendencies. I've also heard dire warnings about "wild garlic" which are known as "wild onions" here. I live in Union County, but the old farmers will jokingly call it "Onion County." I can almost guarantee you that there's no pasture in the county that doesn't have at least a few wild onions, and some are full of them. The horses DO eat them, even when they have options. But, while I won't advise anyone to feed them if avoidable, I don't worry about them. I know too many horses in the area who have always been exposed and have always lived in pastures, who are living to be in their 30's for me to be too concerned about them. Pasture management - always a worry of balancing the lesser of the evils... Karen Thomas, NC
