[Margery McGowan]

Hi - can anyone advise what trees are safe enough to plant in a field of horses.  Would like the horses to be able to forage (i.e. for rosehips) but also would like to create some natural shelter / windbreak as we are at the top of a hill and I'm not quite sure how feasible a field shelter would be.  Also, would the planting of trees help dry up a very sodden field?  Hope someone can help.

[lachlanandmarcus]

If you are wanting to dry it up, willow would be an obvious one, not toxic to horses (sometimes they use it to self medicate, willow being the origin of asprin!). Also readily roots from small pieces. Nowhere near the house tho, sucks all the moisture out of the ground :-).
My horses also love beech. Oak not so good cos of the acorns. Hawthorn good and you can grow it as a small standard.

[Rosemary]

Ours certainly forage - apple, hawthorn, rose, holly(?) - and seem to enjoy it but you'll need to protect the trees or they will destroy them. Our trees are on the far side of the fence so they at least get a chance.

[clydesdaleclopper]

I have a plan to make a field shelter out of living willow - forage and shelter all in one. Though I will have to keep them away from it whilst it gets established.

[Margery McGowan]

Hi All - thanks for replying to my very fist posting on the website!  Wasn't quite sure if I would get replies.  I am sure this is the first of many posts.  Just wait until I move animals in! Regards Margery

[Margery McGowan]

Next question (already) - now that's I've got some tips / advice where is the best place to buy the trees?  Any recommended company / source.  I've never had to buy trees before so unsure.  I buy all my flowers / plants for the garden from Thomson & Morgan but don't think they would be the ones to turn to for trees.  Is 6 months enough time from planting to let the trees establish?  I could split the field with this in mind.

[FiB]

HI Margery and welcome!  I dont have horses here but have planted a lot of trees and living willow sculptures - and watched them being eaten at various stages by various animals!  Willow in particular is nice and crunchy for quite a few years so I'm not sure  a living shelter would survive unless you kept them away for a couple of years and even then I think that they might nibble the bark?  For trees to establish to any kind of horse height shelter, Id say you would need to fence off for 3-5 years - I think the Forestry Commission recommend guarding for 5 years - so no 6 months wouldnt do it sorry .  I buy bare rooted whips from a couple of places Ashridge trees and Bernhards nursery - but you might have a local tree nursery - worth googling/yell.com .  And Id recommend getting 2 year whips or larger (having them at 1m, rather than 50cm makes all the difference when it comes to competing against the grass and weed control ) and not bother with guarding unless you have rabbit probs, or staking.


I planted a few hundred trees this winter (bare rooted whips need to be planted in the dormant phase) and even though fenced, one of my sheep decided they looked delicious, found a way in and deleaved about 25 in about 24 hours!! Boo


The only possible exception that I have noticed surviving without fencing is hawthorn and blakthorn, but they are pretty stunted - having their juicy leaves nibbled off each spring - so not sure how many decades it would take for them to get to horse height.  Good luck