Poisonous plants in horse paddocks 

Can grow up to 2 metres in height and has large triangular fronds that die back in winter.  Bracken can be found in heathlands, woodlands, hillsides and moorland habitats. It prefers sandy, well-drained soils.   

Can grow up to 50cm in height and has small yellow flowers with five petals and lobed leaves. Buttercups can be found in meadows, woodlands and verges.  Buttercups prefer well-drained, moist soils.

Common box is also known as wild box. It can grow up to 8 metres tall and has oval, dark evergreen, waxy leaves. It can be found in gardens and woodland. It prefers a moist, loamy soil.

Cowbane can grow up to 2.5 metres in height and has hollow stems with triangular leaves that have 2-4 divisions and has white flowers in clusters that are like another plant, cow parsley. Cow parsley is safe for horses to eat and to tell cowbane and cow parsley apart you can look at the stem. Cowbane has purple spots and streaks near the base of its stem and can be found near shallow water, streams, ditches, rivers and lakes. 

Cuckoo Pint has many common names, the most well-known of which is Lords-and-ladies. It can grow up to 45cm and has arrow shaped leaves, small yellow flowers and orange berries. It is commonly found in woodlands and hedgerows, and prefers moist, well-drained soils.  

Can grow up to 2 metres in height and grows black berries, has bell shaped green and purple flowers and oval leaves with pointed tips. Deadly nightshade can be found in scrubland and woodland habitats. It prefers chalk soils that have been disturbed.

Can grow up to 1 metre in height and has a scale-like structure, whorls of needle-like branches and hollow stems. It prefers wet habitats such as wetlands, woodlands and verges.

Can grow up to 30 metres in height and has dark green lobed leaves with glossy white veins. Ivy can be found in gardens, woodland and scrubland and prefers a moist sandy or clay soil.

Can grow up to 8 metres and has large hanging bunches of yellow flowers, trifoliate (three leaflets) leaves and produces twisted black seed pods. It can be found in parks, gardens, scrubland. It prefers well drained, moist chalk soils in full sun.

Can grow up to 1 metre and have brightly coloured flowers with irregular shaped petals, with lobed leaves that primarily grow at the base of the plants stem.  It can be found in woodlands, grasslands and garden and prefers moist, well-drained soils.  

Can grow up to 8 metres and has thick, glossy evergreen leaves with clusters of white flowers. It can be found in gardens, woodlands and hedgerows. It prefers chalky soils.  

Can grow up to 2 metres and grey-green leaves with silver hairs and small pea-like flowers. It can be found in meadows, gardens and along roadside verges. It prefers dry, sandy soils.   

Can grow up to 60cm and has dark green rounds leaves with large yellow flowers. It can be found in marshes, ponds, ditches and wet woodlands. It prefers moist soils or shallow water.  

Oak trees can grow upwards of 40 metres and have leaves with rounded lobes with smooth or slightly undulating edges. Oak trees produce acorns which are green/brown and grow in a cup shaped cupule. They can be found in woodlands, parks and hedgerows and are adaptable to most conditions. 

Can grow up to 2.5 metres and has purple streaks on its stem, lace-like leaves and small white clustered flowers. It looks similar to another plant, cow parsley which is safe for horses to eat. You can tell the difference by looking at the stem of the plant. Poison hemlock has a round, hollow stem with purple streaks whereas cow parsley has a celery shaped stem. Poison hemlock can be found in verges, hedgerows, grassland, and woodland. It prefers shady areas with moist soil.

Can grow up to 1.5 metres and grows in three stages – as seedlings, as rosettes and then as a mature plant with yellow flowers and frilled leaves. You can find more information on our Ragwort: how to deal with it in horse paddocks advice page.  

Can grow up to 6m, it has thick glossy leaves and clusters of flowers that are bell-shaped. It can be found in woodlands, heathlands, grasslands, gardens, parks and riverbanks. Rhododendron prefers acidic peat or sandy soils. 

Can grow up to 1m and has star shaped yellow petals, yellow-green leaves with translucent spots. It can be found in grassland, pastures, meadows and woodland. It prefers moist, well-drained soil.  

Can grow upwards of 35 metres and has leaves with five lobes and produces ‘helicopter’ like, winged seeds. It can be found in woodlands, parks and hedgerows and prefers moist, well-drained soils. Sycamore trees and seeds are very similar to another tree, field maple that is safe for horses. The key differences between the two are that field maple has smaller, more rounded lobes to its leaves, and the ‘wings’ of a field maple’s seeds are straight whereas sycamore seeds are angled downwards, making more of an upside down ‘V’ shape.  

Can grow up to 1.5 metres and has wavy leaves with pointed edges and characteristic white, funnel-shaped flowers. It can be found in gardens and parks. It prefers calcium rich soils.  

Can grow up to 4 metres and is a climbing plant. It has rough, dark green leaves with 5 lobes and produces green-white flowers and red berries. It can be found in woodland, farmland, gardens and hedgerows. It prefers a slightly moist but well-drained soil.  

Can grow up to 4 metres and has small leaves, small white flowers and black berries. It can be found in woodlands, hedgerows and grasslands. It prefers calcium rich soils. Wild privet is similar to common privet which is commonly found in gardens and is also poisonous to horses. Key differences include leaf shape with common privet having more oval shaped leaves compared to wild privet’s narrower, elliptical shaped leaves. Wild privet has a more open, upright growth pattern, whereas common privet has a denser growth pattern. 

Can grow up to 20 metres and has small, needle-like leaves and red berries. Some trees also develop pinecone like structures. It can be found gardens, woodlands and heathlands. It prefers dry, sandy soils e.g., chalk or limestone.