This is a difficult question to answer with great certainty, especially in Florida where there are a number of exotic trees available that have little known information as to their effects on livestock. It is difficult to even find information on the more conventional trees; however, your local Cooperative Extension office should have some information in the form of Extension circulars and bulletins on how plants affect animals. These don't cover trees primarily, but they can be helpful. In general, you should avoid any trees of the cherry family, locust family, and red maple. Besides the concern of toxicity of the tree, other concerns should be related to safety and growth patterns and how much ground is lost to the production of the tree. For instance, many people love live oak trees, but as they mature, they cover a very large area and pose problems caring for them and keeping them pruned so as not to be a safety hazard for the horse. Obviously, pines are not good pasture trees either. Whatever you plant, you probably want to keep the animals away from the tree itself; horses can be very destructive to trees.

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