Content
- Ribwort as a food and medicine for the horse
- Trust in the natural instinct of horses
- Ribwort plantain used as a remedy and feed
- Plantain ribwort for the horse
- Tips & Tricks
Ribwort as a food and medicine for the horse
The ribwort plantain (Plantago lanceolata) has been used by humans for centuries as a natural remedy for cough and bronchial diseases. Even in horses, it can develop its positive effect, if it is tolerated by the respective horse.
Trust in the natural instinct of horses
If your horse wants to nibble on the leaves and flowers of the visually striking ribwort plantain when leaving the trail, you should not stop it. Rib plantain is non-toxic to human and animal consumption and, as a rule, animals themselves are very good at assessing their nutritional needs. You should only avoid taking ribwort from the horse if you know that the animal is allergic or intolerable. However, if such a condition has not been established in your horse, you do not need to fight larger stocks of plantain on the pasture.
Ribwort plantain used as a remedy and feed
In horses without an allergy to the plant, the ribwort plantain can be used as a natural remedy for the suppression of irritable cough and for the dissolution of mucus in the respiratory tract. Since the plantain can be fed prophylactically without side effects, it is contained in dried form in many commercial herbal mixtures for horses. However, the ribwort plantain grows at many locations in this country with suitable soil and moisture conditions and without any action on the roadside or in fat meadows.
Plantain ribwort for the horse
For use as a feed ingredient and natural medicine, you can harvest the ribwort plantain from natural resources or cultivate it selectively under suitable conditions. Since feeding to combat coughs in horses is often more necessary in winter, you should cut the ribwort after the summer flowering and let it dry as quickly and well ventilated in the sun. So you can feed him to your horse in the following dosage forms during the winter months:
Tips & Tricks
Although ribwort plantain has a positive effect on the health of non-allergic horses, it should not be exaggerated in the amount and frequency of use. It is believed that excessive consumption in horses can cause intestinal discomfort.
WK