18/09/2026
THE HEDGEROW HEART HERB
Hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna) is one of our most familiar hedgerow herbs and has a long tradition of use as a tonic for the heart and circulation.
For horses, I particularly like hawthorn for supporting:
❤️ Healthy circulation
❤️ The heart and cardiovascular system
❤️ Healthy blood vessels and capillaries
❤️ Older horses who may benefit from a little extra circulatory support
❤️ General vitality and wellbeing
Hawthorn contains a wonderful range of plant compounds, particularly flavonoids and procyanidins, which are associated with its traditional use as a cardiovascular herb.
THE LOVELY THING ABOUT HAWTHORN?
It is incredibly easy to use.
If you have safe, unsprayed hawthorn growing around your land, horses may naturally browse the young leaves and shoots from the hedgerow.
You can also harvest it yourself.
SPRING — LEAVES & FLOWERS
Harvest the young leaves and flowering tops around May–June.
They can be:
• Offered fresh as safe seasonal browse
• Dried for use later in the year
• Made into a strong herbal infusion, cooled and poured over the feed
• Preserved in apple c***r vinegar for later use
AUTUMN — THE RED BERRIES
The beautiful red haws ripen from late summer into autumn.
They can be:
• Harvested and dried
• Lightly crushed and added to feed
• Simmered gently in water to make a hawthorn berry tea
• Preserved in apple c***r vinegar
A SIMPLE HAWTHORN TEA
For leaves and flowers, pour hot water over the herb and allow it to infuse for around 15 minutes.
For the tougher berries, lightly crush them and gently simmer them in water.
Allow the tea to cool completely and pour the whole lot over the horse’s feed.
HAWTHORN & APPLE C***R VINEGAR
Another lovely way of preserving your autumn harvest is to lightly crush the berries, place them in a clean glass jar and cover them completely with raw apple c***r vinegar.
Leave for around 4–6 weeks, shaking regularly, and then strain.
You now have a simple homemade hawthorn preparation that can be added to feed.
OR KEEP IT REALLY SIMPLE…
If you have hawthorn hedges, allowing horse’s access to safe, unsprayed hawthorn browse is perhaps the most natural way of all.
Horses are browsers as well as grazers, and giving them access to a variety of safe plants allows them to engage in natural foraging behaviour.
WHEN TO HARVEST
Leaves & flowers — May–June
Berries — late summer into autumn when beautifully red and ripe
Always correctly identify any plant before harvesting, avoid roadside or sprayed hedges, and introduce new herbs gradually.
Hawthorn is one of those beautiful herbs that connects herbal medicine with something very simple letting our horses benefit from the plants growing naturally around them.
