Hedge Apples and Horses

Cattle producers know well the problems associated with hedge apples, the bright yellow-green fruit that fall from Osage orange trees (Marclura pomifera) in mid to late autumn. Inquisitive by nature and always on the qui vive for a novel morsel, cattle will sometimes try to swallow the fruit, which often grow to be larger than a softball, in one fell swoop, causing the sphere to lodge in the throat and suffocate the animal.

Do horses run the same risk of choke?

Should a horse try to swallow a hedge apple in one gulp, the same fate that often befalls cattle could transpire, so it is wise to clear pastures and fencelines of trees that bear the fruit. Not only will this provide peace of mind, but it might extend the life of mower blades required to slice through the fallen fruit during routine pasture maintenance.

Studies have shown that hedge apples are innocuous to horses when ingested. Horses generally bypass the fruit when browsing because of its extremely hard texture and unpalatability, especially when there is other forage to satiate hunger.