Can Horses Eat Stinging Nettles?

I was out tending the horses the other day when I noticed that once again, stinging nettles were beginning to grow into their pasture again.

It’s been a years long battle to try and remove the nettles, and despite all my efforts, they just keep coming back.

Having them on the field has always made me nervous as I’m worried of the horses getting to eat them and getting sick.

Since I can’t seem to get the nettles to stay gone, though, I decided to actually check if they were even dangerous.

So, can horses eat stinging nettles?

Surprisingly, yes—although not while they are on the bush. Stinging nettles only possess their stinging quality while the leaves are attached to the stalk. Horses will know not to eat them like this, and so it is safe to leave them. To feed them, you’ll need to cut them off the bush.

So, having been fighting them actively for years, I now find out that it would probably have been safe to leave them as they were.

Horses are typically smart enough not to eat stinging nettles—and even if they do, they would only do so once.

In any case, let’s look further into this.

Are stinging nettles good for horses?

Yes, in lots of ways!

For one thing, horses in general seem to be quite fond of stinging nettles.

Most of the time, this will only be when the leaves are dry and wilted, but we will get to that shortly.

The leaves themselves come with all sorts of nutritional benefits that your horse will appreciate.

For one thing, stinging nettles contain many vitamins like A, C, K and some B vitamins.

Many of these vitamins act as antioxidants in the body, reducing oxidative stress and damage to cells.

Furthermore, they’re a great source of many minerals, like calcium, iron, magnesium and phosphorous.

Minerals serve a wide variety of functions in the body, including keeping the immune system properly working as well as the health of the blood.

They can also reduce inflammation, which can be a problem for horses.

In any case, though, moderation and preparation are important.

It’s best to get the leaves off the bush first, but more importantly, just make sure they aren’t eating too much.

Are stinging nettles bad for horses?

So, in general, no, they aren’t.

As I said, the only problem you will really run into is quantity.

You should think of the diet you provide to your horse as being the best approximation of its natural diet that you can find.

With that in mind, the vast majority of its diet will be hay and grass.

Its digestive system is simple, and this is most of what it is equipped to handle.

So, with that in mind, stinging nettles are a bit more complex and nutrient rich.

For that very reason, you should always keep strict moderation in mind.

Don’t let them eat too much, or it could cause a variety of problems.

As I said, horses typically will not eat nettles straight from the bush.

This means they will only do so when you have prepared them.

Knowing how best to prepare them is another important step.

Can horses eat fresh stinging nettles?

In general, no—they can’t. And they won’t, anyway.

Most animals are smart enough to know when something is going to do them harm, and they won’t eat it.

That said, horses are certainly much less affected by stinging nettles than we are.

So, many of them can comfortably eat stinging nettles fresh.

If you are going to give them to your horse, though, fresh is not the best option.

The sting will be there, and this can cause issues for your horse.

Nonetheless, if you see your horse eating fresh nettles, it isn’t anything to worry about.

Can horses eat wilted stinging nettles?

This is the best way to give your horses stinging nettles.

When a stinging nettle leaf is removed from the bush, it immediately begins to lose its stinging quality.

So, what many horse owners do to get the many benefits of nettles into a horse’s diet is to remove a bunch of leaves, and let them dry out.

Once they’ve wilted, they still contain all the nutrients without any of the nasty stuff.

Letting some leaves dry out is the best way to feed nettles to your horse—and they will almost certainly appreciate it!

So, whatever happens, you really have nothing to worry about from stinging nettles.

They are perfectly safe for your horse, and even if they do eat them fresh, will not be a problem unless they eat too much.

Exercise the necessary caution, then, as though most horses will avoid too much fresh nettle, some will be keener.

Keep a close eye on them, even go out of your way to cut nettles for them, and it will be totally safe.