Where Do Retired Racehorses Go Australia?

The state-based authorities around Australia all have official equine welfare programs for the “re-training” of thoroughbreds, which transition them from racehorses housed in stables to aftercare. Where do race horses go after they retire? Successful racehorses that are retired are most often sent to the breeding shed. This is an Read more…

Do Horsetails Have Cell Walls?

The significant deposits of silica within cell walls is supported by the known presence of callose in cell walls of horsetails [12, 15, 25, 26]. What is unique about the structure of horsetails? Horsetail has several distinguishing characteristics. One such characteristic is horsetail’s hollow stems (Figures 1 and 3). Its Read more…

Do Horsetails Have Elaters?

Equisetum plants (horsetails) reproduce by producing tiny spherical spores that are typically 50 µm in diameter. The spores have four elaters, which are flexible ribbon-like appendages that are initially wrapped around the main spore body and that deploy upon drying or fold back in humid air. What plants have elaters? Read more…

Where Does Horse Tail Grow?

Where does horsetail grow? Horsetail especially loves moist, marshy areas but it can also be found in fields, forests, gravely soil, on slopes and even in the cracks of cement sidewalks. When the small tan-colored horsetail shoot first emerges from the soil, it can be picked and eaten raw. Where Read more…

What Happens If A Horse Eats Bracken Fern?

Bracken fern contains the enzyme thiaminase, which inactivates thiamine (vitamin B1). Inactivation of thiamine results in a deficiency that may cause neural dysfunctions in the horse. Horses will typically avoid eating Bracken fern since it is fairly unpalatable. How poisonous is bracken fern? Ingestion of a large quantity of bracken Read more…

Is Pokeweed Poisonous To Horses?

Pokeweed produces clusters of green berries, which mature to a dark purple color. The roots are the most toxic part of the plant, but horses can also be poisoned from the leaves and stems. A toxic compound, called phytolaccotoxin, can cause a burning sensation in the mouth, low grade chronic Read more…