I know there are types of oak trees that are toxic to horses but I can’t seem to find information about Pin Oak trees. Cut them or is it ok leave them in pasture areas?
Pin oaks are in the “red oak” family. The tannin levels are highest in the red oaks so I would cut them if you don’t have a way to minimize the leaves/acorns within reach of the horses.
I don’t want to guide you in the wrong direction, but when I lived in Pinellas County, FL and boarded my horses there (10+ years) we had oak trees everywhere. And since we were in the city we didn’t have much / any grass. For our allowed 2 hours of turn out a day in a sand lot the horses spent most of that time eating acorns. Never had any knowledge of problems in our urban, close knit horse community.
I have a few pin oaks on the property I’m currently building, and several in the pastures I’m keeping my horses in down the road and I’m not having any problems. The lady who owns the land said in 14 years she had not had any problem with her horse and mini donks.
It’s wilted maple and cherry tree leaves that are the major issue. Oak leaves are not an issue for my horses. But the horses are a problem for the trees as they chew on the bark, standing in the shade.
2 Likes
I also have pin oaks, also called sawtooth oaks, in my pastures. In 30 years I have had zero problems with them. My horses have enough pasture and other sources of shade that they do not bother the trees.
star
1 Like
My experience is it really depends on your horse. I have four who do not touch oak trees in any way and one who will inhale every acorn that drops. I can tell she is eating acorns because she will usually get colicky and start popping abscesses, but I’ve never had any serious problems from it. I just manage her by moving her away from the oak trees if acorns are masting.
Oak trees certainly have a level of toxicity, so I can understand while someone would recommend removing them. However, I personally have not found the risk to be so severe that their presence bothers me.
I have a variety of gorgeous oak trees in our pastures, including pin oaks. Only one gelding has shown any sensitivity to acorns and I did wind up having to rehome him. Of course, he was a pig and would snarf up all the acorns he could find, which didn’t help. Otherwise, aside from occasionally munching on the leaves and some acorns in the fall, the oaks have not posed a problem and I’m not about to cut them down.
