equine-health
Equine health research examines the nutritional, toxic, and medicinal interactions between horses and the plant species in their environment. From a plant science perspective, this field drives investigation into which plant compounds—such as alkaloids, tannins, and glycosides—pose risks or provide benefits to grazing animals, informing our understanding of plant secondary metabolite function and evolution.
open_in_new WikipediaPubMed · 2026-05-01
Both red maple and Freeman maple leaves are toxic to horses, but Freeman maple — a popular landscaping hybrid — caused roughly 65% more blood cell damage in lab tests than red maple. Horse owners and property managers near pastures should treat Freeman maple as an equal or greater hazard than red maple.
Freeman maple leaf extracts produced 64% more methemoglobin and 67% more hemolysis than red maple extracts in horse blood cell tests (n=120 horses).
Barn location (site) was the largest single factor explaining differences in blood cell oxidation between individual horses, outweighing age, breed, and body condition.
Regression models explained 22–89% of variation, with age and time of sample collection as minor additional contributors for red maple, while only barn site remained significant for Freeman maple.
