The best hedges for horse paddocks are those that provide security and safety. Additionally, hedges can provide shade in the summer, and act as wind breaks in the winter. Making sure that you plant the best hedges for your paddocks will depend upon the size and maintenance work you are willing to provide.
The most important consideration for choosing hedges for your paddock is that they are safe, both for horses, and to other livestock and animals that may be nearby. That they provide security is often another important feature, even when they are grown to supplement a fenced boundary. A third attribute to look out for is how fast they grow and the maintenance required.
If you’re wondering which the best hedges for horse paddocks are, then read on.
What Is Paddock Hedging
Paddock hedging for horses is one of the most favoured forms of securing boundaries. This is often used in conjunction with fencing and once allowed to establish will protect the boundary fence.
Livestock friendly hedging plants are often also brilliant plants for pollinators such as bees. Paddock hedging, if laid and maintained correctly can outlive fencing and provide an enhanced environment for your horse.
Horse Friendly Boundary Hedge
Non toxic hedging plants for horses is widely available. Hawthorn and blackthorn are popular for their strong growth. It doesn’t hurt that blackthorn also provides berries which are popularly used to flavour gin.
Horse friendly hedges such as blackthorn are superior in their provision of secure boundaries. Blackthorn has strong, long thorns which are impenetrable to all but the most determined entrants. Pushing through a mature blackthorn or hawthorn hedge will not be undertaken willingly, so you can rest assured that your animals are as safe as possible.
Best Hedge For Paddocks
Hedge plants for paddocks can be purchased individually or in packs according to the length of the hedge that you’re looking to plant. There are many grants available for hedge planting that hope to increase the biodiversity of the area and aid carbon capture. If you choose to go down this route, make sure that you are able to adhere to some of the strict rules of management and time that the rules require. In some instances you are required to maintain the hedge for 25 years, so it is not something to undertake lightly.
Hedge plants that can provide all year shelter and act as wind breaks are preferable. Some hedge varieties grow more quickly than others so that will need to be factored in when you are choosing which hedging to plant. It is generally considered sensible to grown a hedge that contains multiple different varieties, rather than one single hedge type.
Not only does this increase biodiversity, but can also help the health of the entire hedge long term. If you plant a mixture of fast and slow growing varieties then you may be able to benefit from the best of both worlds.
Horse Friendly Hedges And Trees
Hedging plants safe for horses are multiple. Here are the top 5 grown in the UK:
- Blackthorn
- Hawthorn
- Field Maple
- Common Dogwood
- Hazel
Each of these has it’s own benefits and drawbacks. See below for details:
Benefits
- Blackthorn – This produces a thick and secure hedge if managed correctly. The thorns ensure that few unwanted visitors will get through, and certainly not unscathed. It’s a brilliant plant for local wildlife, and favoured by birds and insects alike. It produces beautiful flowers and has aesthetic interest all year round.
- Hawthorn – A dense hedge species that provides shelter not only for horses other mammals alike. The red berries are a favourite with birds in the spring.
- Field Maple – Grown almost anywhere and can be pruned to produce a thick hedge, or left to grow to produce a tree within the hedgerow. Relatively fast growing.
- Common Dogwood – Beautiful colours and providing your horses with a plant to nibble that has many anecdotal records of being medicinally beneficial.
- Hazel – Good to plant in windy areas, fast growing, and will grow in most soils without intensive care. The nuts can be eaten by humans, and it provides a good habitat for wildlife. Hazel can be pruned to stay as a hedge, or allowed to grow as a tree to provide shelter and shade.
Drawbacks
- Blackthorn – The thorns can give a severe puncture wound which will need attention to ensure that infection does not set in. Although it is occasionally browsed upon by horses, in large quantities it can have negative side-effects. That said, it has been favoured as a fencing species for 100’s years in the UK, and many hedge bundles contain large percentages of blackthorn plants.
- Hawthorn – Sharp thorns (unless you buy a thornless variety) are a given. Therefore, hedge trimmings should be tidied up if the horses are grazing adjacent as they are perfectly capable of piercing sensitive soles.
- Field Maple – There are few, if any, downsides to planting Field Maples in your field.
- Common Dogwood – The scent from common dogwood flowers can be unpleasant to some people. The plant also needs to be placed where it will receive adequate sunlight and water.
- Hazel – Few if any drawbacks to using hazel as a hedge plant.
If you’re looking for evergreen trees safe for horses, then you may be looking for a very long time. The nearest to safe that I have found is holly, and even then, only certain varieties are safe to be planted where horses graze. Most other evergreen plants in the UK are poisonous to some extent.
In essence, totally horse friendly evergreen hedging doesn’t exist. Thick hawthorn bushes which restrict access and restrict view might be an alternative.
Many hedges also contain smaller tree species, and even some larger trees at random points. The type of tree you consider will depend upon your soil type, the maintenance you are prepared to undertake each year, and what you are planting the tree or hedge for.
The most commonly planted trees in or around horse paddocks are:
- Willow
- Field Maple
- Hornbeam
- Silver birch
- Beech
There are many reasons for this, but you’ll have to read 5 Best Trees For Horses to find out which each of these can offer.
Conclusion
We plant hedges for many reasons. Mainly to show land boundaries and to maintain the security of your field. They can provide additional forage, act as wind-breaks, and shelter from the rain, as well as helping the soil and taking up additional water from the land. Hedges containing common dogwood and other flowering varieties will provide important food for local pollinators and allow improved local biodiversity.
Related Articles
5 Best Trees For Horses
5 Worst Trees For Horses
References
25m HORSE FRIENDLY Mixed Native Country Hedging Plants, 125 Plants, 6 Different Varieties 3FATPIGS | DIY at B&Q
