People, wildlife, horses, and the ecosystem all benefit from a landscape of native plants, which can be useful in many ways on horse farms.
Native plants have evolved over thousands of years for their specific region. Many of the species listed below are native to the Pacific Northwest, but thrive in other regions of the U.S. Contact a local equine extension specialist for help determining which are best for your area. These hardy plants have adapted to the geography, hydrology (how water moves, distributes, and behaves), and climate and have coevolved with animals, insects, fungi, and microbes in the area.
If you use native plants on your horse farm, you can spend less money and time caring for them with pesticides or fertilizers. These plants serve as the foundation of our natural world, providing habitats for a variety of beneficial wildlife, including songbirds, pollinating insects, and butterflies.
After the first few years of some watering, native plants typically no longer need special care or watering except during a drought. They also cost less to buy than their non-native landscaping cousins. Enhancing horse properties with native plants can also help with erosion control, visual buffers, and pollution filters.
A hedgerow of native plants on horse properties can provide:
- A visual screen between neighbors, a wind barrier for a breezy area, or a dust screen around your arena. Choose a variety of evergreen and deciduous plants for year-round coverage.Tree species to consider, depending on your region, include Douglas fir, western red cedar, black hawthorn, poplar, and Pacific crabapple. Tall shrubs include beaked hazelnut, willow, nootka rose, and golden currant.
- Mud management alongside confinement areas, absorbing water, reducing runoff, and utilizing nutrients from manure and urine. Consider western red cedar, red
- A erosion-reducing buffer along streams or wetland banks to protect riparian (along the river banks) habitat. Consider western red cedar, Oregon ash, black twinberry, Pacific ninebark, salmonberry for riparian areas.
- A landscape feature near your home, barn, or along a driveway (not in pastures or paddocks, generally). Many native shrubs and ground covers exhibit beautiful arrays of colors in flowers and leaves. Choose plant varieties that flower and fruit at different times throughout the year for a year-round feature. Consider red flowering currant, mock orange, salal, Oregon grape, Nootka rose, Woods’ rose, kinnikinnick, and smaller flowering perennials such as coneflower, lavender, yarrow, flax, and black-eyed Susan for ornamental value.
Take-Home Message
Ultimately, any method to reduce chemical use and conserve water on horse farms is a good thing. Native plants can provide a helping hand for many land management issues in a low-cost, low-care way.
Note: Native plants listed here are not generally considered toxic to horses in small quantities, but horse owners and farm managers should not use these plants as a diet for horses, nor should they allow horses to browse them. For help selecting the correct plants for your situation, contact your local extension agent or conservation district office.
