Plantain (Plantago lanceolata) has been used by humans for centuries as a natural remedy for coughs and bronchial diseases. It can also have a positive effect on horses if it is tolerated by the respective horse.

Trust the horses natural instincts

If your horse wants to nibble on the leaves and blossoms of the eye-catching buckhorn when it comes out at the side of the path, you shouldn't stop it. Ribwort plantain is non-toxic for human and animal consumption and animals are usually very good at assessing their nutritional needs. You should only avoid buckhorn ingestion by your horse if you know the animal has an allergy or intolerance to it. However, if such a disease has not been found in your horse, you do not need to fight larger stocks of buckhorn in the pasture.

Use buckhorn specifically as a medicine and animal feed

In horses without an allergy to the plant, plantain can be given as a natural remedy to suppress dry coughs and clear mucus in the airways. Since buckhorn can also be used prophylactically without side effects, it is included in dried form in many commercially available herbal mixtures for horses. However, in many locations in this country with suitable soil and moisture conditions, plantain grows without any action at the side of the road or in fat meadows.

Harvest plantain for the horse

For use as a feed ingredient and natural medicine, you can harvest buckhorn from natural stocks or cultivate it under suitable conditions. Since feeding horses to combat coughing is often necessary in winter, you should cut the plantain after the summer flowering and let it dry in the sun as quickly and well ventilated as possible. So you can feed it to your horse during the winter months in the following dosage forms:

  • throughout
  • crumbled and mixed with other food
  • as a cough tea for horses

tips and tricks

Although buckhorn has a positive effect on the health of horses that are not allergic to it, the quantity and frequency of use should not be exaggerated. It is believed that excessive consumption can cause intestinal problems in horses.

WK

Category:

Herbs