From the deep shadows of our jungle came the sounds of stomping and tearing and chewing. I approached cautiously, expecting to find a black bear or maybe a horde of wild pigs. Imagine my relief on finding a couple of horses! Plus imagine the happiness to see that they were working on reducing the poison oak population. Horses can eat the stuff that could kill a human by causing the throat to swell shut. When horses stomp through poison oak, horse handlers have to wash off with ammonia, or else develop itchy lymph-oozing blisters. Every spring when the vet and farrier and others come to our roundup, we have to make sure we have plenty of ammonia and rinse water for them.When I was about 12 I had my first encounter with the pretty, shiny, deep-green leaves of poison oak. The swelling was so great I thought my skin would burst. Since then the effect is almost nothing and poison oak isn’t a bother. But still it’s nice that the horses get some fresh greenery.
1 comment:
How interesting. I don't know anything much about poison ivy except it is a plant to be avoided. Stinging nettle trees, on the other hand, are something I know a little about. Stinging nettles have little built in triggers with poison on them that go off as soon as a person brushes by them. The triggers keep firing for days after you get stung. They hurt. The only way to get MOST (not all) of them out is to apply hot wax to the poor stung skin then rip it off. Poor Robbie had lovely waxed knees for awhile there after he had a brush with the plant. Made a nice contrast to his hairy calves.
I wonder if horses eat stinging nettle trees?
Post a Comment