Growing Herbs for Horses

Most people who enjoy sharing their life with horses also enjoy other outdoor activities, and for a great many of us, that includes gardening. I have always loved gardening with herbs and heirloom flowers, and enjoyed finding ways to incorporate the herbs in beneficial ways with the purebred dogs that I bred and exhibited. Now, I am having to relearn everything as my focus has narrowed on our horses.

When we moved from our old homestead, I left behind my herb garden. In the "new place" (how many years does it take before the 'new' wears off? We're in the 7th year now and I'm still not really settled in...of course, there were three generations of roots at the old place) I haven't been able to get anything really established, although I do have little "mini gardens" here and there with groupings of the herbs that I use the most. I have lots of friends who herb garden that luckily are generous with their clippings, and there's always my friends at www.herbalcom.com to fill in the gaps with affordable bulk priced herbs.

When you're choosing plants to grow in your garden, you'll need to do as much research as possible before you head for the nursery. There will sometimes be several species of the same plant available (if you're lucky and have a well stocked herb nursery nearby, certainly the array of possiblities online is staggering). The last year I had my old herb garden I had almost 20 different varities of mints in a special "mint garden" made up of different heights of concrete pipe standing on end on top of concrete blocks (mint likes to travel, and it likes to marry outside its race, so its roots must be kept contained and above ground as much as possible). Sometimes one variety of an herb may be more potent than others. Know your species!

Most herbs like sunny beds, so be sure to choose a spot for your herb garden that doesn't get more than a couple of hours a day of shade. When the plants are newly set out, they'll need lots of water and some tend to be very tender so may need temporary "roofs" made out of tented newspaper. (After they get stronger, simply tear up the newspaper and poke it beneath the mulch, it's a great source of vitamins for the soil.) If you set out plants before the last threat of frost is gone, cut the bottom out of milk jugs and large soda bottles and place the bottle over the plants. Remove the lids during the day and replace them at night. You can also make slow waterers out of small plastic soda bottles. Take a nail and punch small holes in the bottom of the bottle. Bury the bottle up to its neck near the roots of the plant. Remove the lid (they can be recycled) and fill with water. The water will soak out slowly to the roots and you can easily refill the bottle when it's empty. This is a great water saver as well, since y ou're not watering a lot of unnecessary area. This works for the garden, potted plants and hanging baskets using bottles of any shape or size.

If you're growing your own herbs, you have to absorb a lot more information than someone does who just opens a jar and measures. Different herbs must be harvested in different ways, including what part of the plant is beneficial and what is not. With some herbs you use just the seeds, flowers, roots, leaves or stems, and in some cases the whole plant. Some are most beneficial when fresh, some need to be dried. You'll also need to learn the best time to harvest each part. Some leaves should be picked early in the morning on sunny warm days, most roots can be dug almost anytime and stems should be picked according to how potent you want them to be. Before you begin harvesting, it takes a while to prepare a place for the drying or bottling and gathering the supplies that will be necessary.

During the year, I rinse out every small plastic or glass bottle and jar that I empty, run it through the dishwasher and store it in a box I keep under my sink. When it's time to harvest my herbs, I have a supply of interesting sizes and shapes of containers without having to purchase any. Recycling at its best! I ask friends to save me their baby food jars, fruit and veggy jars, wine bottles, even interesting shaped drink bottles. Everything has its use eventually.

I use a lot of herb vinegars for both human and horse consumption, so I try to keep a lot of wine bottles on hand. If I die in an accident and someone comes in to clean my home (may the Lord have mercy on their soul) they're going to be certain I was a closet wino, for I have box after box of wine bottles. I hope they notice that the labels have been removed (unless they were interesting or humorous) and they're washed and ready to be reused. I also am always on the lookout for good quality apple cider vinegar on sale, and when I find it I stock up. I'm sure an "outsider" might wonder why anyone would need 10 gallons of vinegar. Must be making a looooot of pickles! Remember when you're dealing with vinegar, that "icky" stuff that floats in it is a VERY good thing, and the more it has the better its healing qualities. That "ick" is called the "mother" and if you are lucky enough to have found vinegar that is growing it, you can take out small quantities of it and add it to wine, cider or cheaper vinegars to produce good quality vinegars.

One good standby vinegar for a tonic for daily feeding that will help build up a horse's immune system as well as aid digestion and increase strength in hooves contains apple cider vinegar, rosehips, garlic and fenugreek. Mix together well and store in a cool dry place. Feed a little more than a tablespoon for an average sized horse. If you have a horse that has kidney or bladder issues, try adding a bit of apple cider vinegar to his drinking water. Most horses love the taste, so they drink more which helps flush the system, and the acid in the vinegar helps heal the damage.

There are lots of different ways to "prepare" herbs for use - infusions, decoctions, tinctures, teas, fresh herbs, wilted herbs, dried herbs, poultices and compresses, salves and ointments, essential oils, and flower essences. There's no 'right way' or 'wrong way' there's only what works best for you. Do your research and ask a lot of questions, then do what fits your lifestyle, your horse's individual needs and in some cases, your pocketbook.

The most important thing to remember, whether you purchase your herbs or grow them, is to work with a veterinarian when diagnosing and treating your horses. Be sure you always tell your vet that you are treating with herbs, so he does not prescribe something that could have an adverse reaction. Some herb and drug combinations can have fatal results.

I firmly believe we are killing our planet with our careless use of pesticides, fungicides, fertilizers and other chemicals. Try to keep your herb garden as organic as possible. Certainly if you're a horse-owner you won't need to purchase any fertilizer!

Grow in good health!