Forbes Farm LMF

Tongue talk-

10 Functional Facts About Your Horse’s Tongue.

1) The tongue is a muscular hydrostat.

Most muscles move by shortening and pulling attachment points closer together.
The tongue is different. It is a three-dimensional weave of fibers that maintains nearly constant volume while changing shape and stiffness to allow extension, curling, lifting, and pushing.

2) It’s long.

Many horses have tongues measuring 12–18 inches, depending on breed and individual size — an ideal design for grasping, sorting, and moving forage.

3) It’s heavier than you might think.

The average adult equine tongue weighs roughly 1–1.5 pounds (0.5–0.7 kg).
That is significant mass influencing mechanics inside the head and throat.

4) It talks to the nervous system.

The tongue is rich in sensory receptors and communicates strongly with cranial nerves involved in parasympathetic (vagal) regulation.

Changes in tongue tone can influence:
• relaxation
• salivation
• breathing
• jaw and poll tension

5) There are no bones inside it — but it isn’t floating freely.

At the base of the tongue, the basihyoid sends forward a projection called the lingual process, which sits within the muscular root of the tongue and serves as an anchor.

The rest of the hyoid apparatus links this system to the skull, throat, and neck.

So while we often say the tongue “hangs,” it is actually part of an active muscular sling.

6) It is powered by about 17 paired muscles.

These include:

Intrinsic muscles → change shape and stiffness.
Extrinsic muscles → change position.

Together they create remarkable precision, strength, and adaptability.

7) The hyoid is influenced by many muscles that are NOT tongue muscles.

These include connections to the sternum, shoulder, mandible, skull, and larynx.

They help determine:
• where the tongue sits
• how it stabilizes
• how freely it moves

😎 This links the tongue directly to posture.

Through muscular and fascial relationships, tongue tension can influence:
• jaw mechanics
• poll mobility
• cervical tone
• airway organization
• whole-body balance strategies

9) Teeth and jaw comfort matter.

Because of the relationship between the tongue, mandible, and hyoid, dental discomfort or imbalance can change how the tongue rests and functions.

If the mouth isn’t comfortable, the rest of the horse usually isn’t either.

10) The tongue and poll are functional partners.

The tongue is anchored to the hyoid apparatus, which serves as an important anatomical hub between the mouth, jaw, poll, throat, sternum, and shoulder region. Muscles such as the sternohyoid and omohyoid create continuity from the hyoid into the ventral neck and thoracic sling, while other muscles connect it to the skull and temporomandibular region.

These connections mean the tongue is part of a larger functional system that influences posture, breathing, swallowing, head and neck carriage, and movement of the forehand. Likewise, restrictions in the neck, shoulders, or thoracic sling can alter tension around the hyoid and tongue.

What happens in the mouth rarely stays in the mouth.

https://koperequine.com/the-incredible-horse-20-interesting-facts-about-horses/

W**ds part 2
**dControl

W**ds - things to think about - Part 2

5) Not only are the landscape and its ecology affected by w**ds; they impact wildlife too. Invasive species have the ability to overrun an area in very short order. This means that native plants are displaced, and many wildlife species and pollinators are dependent upon specific native plants for survival. Invaders upset the balance of an ecosystem for its inhabitants in numerous ways, including outcompeting and replacing vital food resources, providing little nutrition, altering soil chemistry, eliminating plant diversity, increasing the threat of damage from wildfires, and adding dangers from toxicity.

6) While it's true that most counties have a list of w**ds land stewards must control by law, basing pasture management practices on that is self-destructive. The lists exist because those are the species of most concern at the moment in our county, but w**d boards don't recommend that we let the others grow unchecked! Yes, it's important to control the w**ds our county requires us to, but we can't ignore the others. How did the big, bad w**ds make it on that list? They were once the little not-quite-so-important w**ds too.

7) Though some forbs are healthy and even beneficial in certain amounts for equines and livestock, many w**ds are not. Grazing animals thrive best on pastures filled with good forage grasses and some legumes; their systems are geared toward utilizing those plants for growth and well-being. Many invasive and/or noxious w**ds are not healthy forage, and of course, a large number are somewhat to highly toxic. Even small numbers of some w**d species in a pasture put animals at risk, especially during times of drought or poor pasture condition. One (small!) vet bill can cost what several years of w**d control would. The record is full of the regret of equine stewards: if only I had taken the time, if only I had spent the money, if only I'd paid attention, if only I had known more.

If it's strictly a budget that's of concern, we have to stop and consider what is mentioned above: just how much forage/hay is lost through w**ds? We need to take a good look at our pastures and/or hayfields, and calculate the percentage that's covered/impacted by w**ds, and being brutally honest, apply that percentage to the entire year's forage production in pounds.

Depending on species and region, production varies, but most are between 2 and 7 tons per acre of pasture. Losing 10% of 5 tons is the equivalent of around a half ton of hay. If we multiply that by several acres, it's a significant loss. While calculating forage/hay yields and w**d cover are a bit more complex than that, it does give us some idea on w**ds' financial costs to us. It's a real cost, not just some abstract concept. Calories lost in pastures will need to be replaced by calories in hay. Now let's consider the cost of lost forage to the comparatively low cost of time/labor to control w**ds on those acres.

So as we can see, invasive and noxious w**ds really are a big deal. They reduce the quality of pastures, displace good forage, damage neighbors' land and the entire landscape, harm wildlife and waterways, come with high economic costs, and many of them are toxic.

Certainly we have the right to do with our land as we wish, at least within the law. But we also have obligations that come with the privilege of being land and equine stewards. These obligations include being respectful of other's land, the landscape, and its inhabitants, and setting our equines' well-being as our priority. W**d control as part of a good pasture management plan is win-win for all concerned...except maybe the w**ds.

Muscle fatigue-

Happy Father's Day! To all the dads out there, know you're appreciated.

This is an interesting read -

W**ds-

~ It's W**dsDay ~

W**ds - things to think about - Part 1

What's the big deal about w**ds? Everybody who has a pasture has w**ds. As long as you have enough grass, who cares? It's my pasture, so it's nobody's business but mine. We only have to worry about the ones we're obligated under law to control. A few w**ds don't hurt anything. My horses graze around w**ds all the time and never got sick.

If you're an equine pasture steward, you've probably heard statements like these. There seem to be two groups of people with those outlooks: those who don't want to take on the expense and labor that w**d control requires, and those who are lacking in knowledge.

So let's take a look at some facts about invasive and noxious w**ds in equine pastures:

1) There is no such thing as 'a few w**ds'. Maybe this year, but not next year and the next. Invasive w**ds have characteristics that make them very successful as invaders, and one is seed production. Most are prolific that way, with hundreds to hundreds of thousands of seeds per year per plant. One vigorous w**d can create a hundred or a thousand new plants next year, and on it goes exponentially. It's rather like seeing one mouse in the feed room. :)

2) Even if they were otherwise harmless, every w**d in a pasture is taking up space that good grasses could occupy. If 5% of pasture space is covered by w**ds, that's 5% less available forage for animals. 5% seems like a small amount, doesn't it? Would we buy hay from a grower who said that their ton contains only 1900 lbs but they'll charge us for 2000? Would we buy a load of hay knowing that one bale out of 20 would be missing?

3) It's also not just the physical area that w**ds occupy that's of concern. Many w**ds practice allelopathy, which means that they produce biochemicals to make surrounding areas inhospitable to other plants. This actually creates changes in soil microbial communities, and it not yet known how long these changes persist. W**ds also steal water from good forage, sometimes in surprisingly large amounts.

4) Pastures don't exist in bubbles. Whether it's obvious or not, management practices have a direct and sometimes rapid effect on the environment and other land stewards. W**ds do not respect fence lines. (Two very obvious cases in point: blackberry and bindw**d.) It's also not just invasion through root systems, rhizomes, and stolons; seed dispersal takes many forms. Think of dandelions: how many new plants have been started by kids running around blowing dandelion seeds? That's precisely what winds do, except of course wind can move seeds miles from the source. Birds and wildlife carry seeds long distances in their guts or on their fur. Waterways are especially efficient movers of seed, because the seeds are often deposited in areas that are favorable for germination and growth. Tractors and equipment easily move seeds and root matter from field to field. (We need to remember this as we borrow or loan equipment!)

Part 2 tomorrow...

Important/helpful information-

~ Toxo Tuesday ~

Unseen toxins at work

There seems to be a good bit of misunderstanding among some equine stewards about the effects of plant toxins. Apparently a widely-held belief is that if they're eating it and they're 'ok' then it's not an issue.

Unfortunately, that's not the case. There are many ways in which plant toxins affect our equines. It isn't always 'eat - boom - die', and that's no yardstick to use to measure toxicity.

Some toxic effects are cumulative, meaning that the animals don't show outright signs of toxicity, but the damage is occurring. The more toxins ingested and/or the longer the time, the more damage. Clinical signs may not present until weeks or months after the plant is ingested.

The liver is a rather amazing organ. It continues to do its job, often without outward signs, until it's about 75% compromised. At that point, when clinical signs are apparent, it's too late for recovery. Usually at that point the care is supportive and palliative, but there's no cure.

We read a remark in an equine group that 'the liver regenerates', so it's not an issue. That's a bit of misinformation that needs to stop. Yes, the liver does repair itself *if* the damage is small and not consistent. It's like pouring water on a dry sponge: it will absorb some water, sure, but if the water keeps coming at some point it will leak. The liver is amazing, not magical. Allowing animals to graze hepatotoxic plants is a very risky business.

Other than the typical clinical signs from any given toxin, other damage can occur and can also be cumulative. Inflammation, organ damage or scarring, blood issues, problems with delivery or fetuses, arthritis, founder/laminitis, eye/vision issues, heart and circulatory damage, compromised immune systems, and a host of other issues are possible. We may not connect these to the ingestion of toxic plants, but the damage is real.

Think of humans and our diets. If we constantly eat foods that aren't healthy for us, even though we may not immediately see effects, they're having an impact on our bodies. At some point if we continue to make poor nutritional choices, we'll feel it, somewhere.

Alcohol, for instance, is a toxin. If we're careful about the amounts we ingest, our bodies will absorb and neutralize the toxic effects. If we drink more than our systems can handle, it won't immediately be 'drink - boom - cirrhosis'. Yet the toxic effects will be felt by our organs and tissues, and eventually, if we continue drinking too much, damage will occur and clinical signs will present.

So let's (please!) stop the fallacy of 'my horse eats it and he's ok'. Outwardly he may seem fine, but inwardly, where it counts, the toxins could be at work doing damage sight unseen. The signs could present as something as small as weight loss or as significant as lameness, or worse.

Our equines may be big and strong, but internally they're just as delicate as our pet companions. Let's not endanger them by allowing them access to toxic plants.