The sound of the angry buzzsaw could be heard a mile away. The old black walnut tree had graced our horse farm for two generations of the Horton family. Little did we know that once we decided to raise horses, at our daughter’s repeated vocal requests, the tree was doomed.
Hank, our first horse, started to show signs of laminitis. His lower legs began to swell and he was reluctant to move. If we asked him to move he would rock forward and backward and lose his balance.
The black walnut tree killed him.
Oh Danny Boy! 
I never knew this. I have a couple of black walnut trees in my yard. But I don’t have any horses, only squirrels!
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Nicely done. I wasn’t sure, at first, if this was sci fi, or fantasy. Then I scanned the comments and learned it’s actually based on fact. Fascinating, unknown to me until now.
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I recently read of someone dying after choking on a walnut. |Horses, people; I’m rapidly going off those trees!
Click to read my FriFic!
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Awwwe, I had no idea some trees could be fatal to animals.
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A clearly told tale, and an imaginative take on the prompt. Nice one.
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Thanks for stopping by and commenting.
DJ
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Oh no! How sad. Is this story based on fact? If so, I had no idea black walnut trees were fatal to horses.
Susan A Eames at
Travel, Fiction and Photos
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The leaves and acorns of the oak tree are poisonous to cattle, horses, sheep, and goats in large amounts due to the toxin tannic acid, and cause kidney damage and gastroenteritis. Symptoms of poisoning include lack of appetite, depression, constipation, diarrhea (which may contain blood), blood in urine, and colic
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Methinks the Hortons should switch to rearing sheep. They’d be a little less particular about their trees. Nice tale!
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Me thinks you are correct. Thanks for commenting.
DJ
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Such a sad story!
(just thought you’d like to know you are missing your “d” on heard… )
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Damn. Thanks for the catch. Corrected.
DJ
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That’s really sad.
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I feel sorry for the horse and the tree!
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