[Porffor]

i know.. not a major concern for most gardeners.. but

I have horses, and they are on grass livery in a 40 acre field.. I was planning to pull ragwort tomorrow with hubby.. and got a few other owners from our field on the case too.. only drove past today to find the farmer cutting the grass and ragwort down!  :shock:

Now i wondered if any of you know if the plant is likely to be tasty fodder for my neds now, or if they'll ignore it for the fresher grass that comes through and that is below the older longer grass?

For those that are wondering why i'm asking, ragwort causes liver damage..and horsey folk have no idea how bad their horses liver is till it's all too late.
Many thanks..

[Vember]

I always thought it was more harmful to horses when it's been cut down, but I don't have horses and am no expert.  It's just what I was told when helped o/h look after donkeys.

Don't know if they'll actually eat it once it's cut though???

Not much use to you really am I  :?

[Porffor]

thanks for trying will google it and see what i come up with... am somewhat concerned as they are in 40 acres so it's impossible for me to walk the entire field and collect it.  :?

[Big Jen]

Yes, they are more likely to eat it when its dry, it becomes more palatable. I would move your horse off the field very quickly.
You also have the problem of regrowth where he has cut it as well, it will come back twice as thick. All parts of the plant are poisonous, leaves, flowers and seeds.
Ragwort is a notifiable weed and you can get an enforcement order to have it cleared. I dont know if this would apply to land that you are renting though?
I recommend the British Horse Society for information
BJ

[GrannieAnnie]

Never had horses, but we agree with Jen, we are always being told that horses have more health problems with ragwort that has been cut up with the hay.

That farmer should have removed the ragwort before he cut the field knowing there are horses there.  Yet another irresponsible farmer!

Get him sorted out Porffor!!!!!!

[Aunt Sally]

Good article HERE

[GrannieAnnie]

That article is good aunty.  My chickens don't usually touch the ragwort if it grows in the runs, but the other day the silly Babcock's were eating it, so I had to go down and dig it up.

[Big Jen]

Good article HERE

Brilliant article Aunt Sally.
I think this article says everything about how dangerous this weed is.
BJ

[Porffor]

We have always been on a livery where we pulled the ragwort as a team.. every livery did it and was accountable.

I will have another chat with the farmer..  :evil: He has only cut the main area of grass so thats something and I went roudn picking up dead ragwort this morning. sadly i have nowhere else to put the horses without moving them away from the country park they are near. all the other fields around have ragwort in them too.
This is somewhat of a nightmare.. my horses are precious to us.

[Big Jen]

As a suggestion - could you electric fence an area off, make sure its clear of ragwort and put your horse in that. You could extend this area as you clear further parts.
Failing that, keep the horses in the stables. You really cant take any chances with ragwort.
Is the farmer planning on making hay from the grass he has cut ?

[Porffor]

No access to a stable.. grass livery 24/7.

And no farmer not making hay from this field, he is making it from another field - that has been used for a year or slightly longer and was cleared of ragwort by the liveries last year.

[wighty]

we always keep a spray can of paint inside the gate which you pick up and carry with you to the caravan (tackroom).  Any ragwort you spot on the way down you spray so that when you get the spade to dig it out you know where to go.  Please remember to take the can back to the gate with you when you leave.

[ck2day]

I am always amazed by the amount of people who see ragwort as a lovely plant with lots of yellow flowers, fortunately not the people on this forum!  When we bought our field it was full of ragwort plants at the rosette stage and had a pony grazing on it! The owners didn't even care about the amount of ragwort there was as "there is enough grazing for him, he won't touch the other stuff!!" I eventually dug up 18 black bin liners full of the stuff and burnt them all, also blasted the hole I left with roundup. We still have the odd plant here and there 3 years later.

I would personally either dig it up as soon as you see it or tackle the farmer about it, he should know that it's his responsibility to get rid of it.  

You are obviously more than clued up on the effect it has on horses.

[wighty]

I had a pony who got lockjaw and there was only one solution, never want to go through that again, Never found out what caused it.

[jennyb]

we always keep a spray can of paint inside the gate which you pick up and carry with you to the caravan (tackroom).  Any ragwort you spot on the way down you spray so that when you get the spade to dig it out you know where to go.  Please remember to take the can back to the gate with you when you leave.

thats such a good idea - i was forever looking in the paddocks for the bit i missed!

the farmer who cut the grass - is he the owner?  can you get a stable or another field from him due to his stupid actions? do you have a contract on your livery that you could somehow pick him up on his actions?

the BHS site is quite informative

http://www.bhs.org.uk/Content/Ods-More.asp?id=10907&pg=Information&spg=Home&area=9

"When cut or wilted (during hay or haylage making) ragwort loses its bitter taste but none of its toxicity. It becomes far more palatable and harder for the horse owner to spot, thus posing more of a danger."

and

"Mowing or cutting ragwort is not generally advised as it can actually encourage growth. However, it may be necessary as an emergency measure to prevent a ragwort infestation from seeding. If this option is to be taken, cut ragwort must be removed and safely disposed of before animals are allowed to return to the pasture. It is not a safe option of the land is to be used for forage production."

according to the Defra info sheet on ragwort - cutting is ok in an emergency before seed heads mature but must be followed with a control technique and you don't need to remove them from grazing provided the cuttings are removed.

the PDF is here:   http://www.defra.gov.uk/farm/wildlife/weeds/pdf/cop_ragwort.pdf

i used to find ragwort pulling quite theraputic - and poo picking when the weather was ok too!  ( :roll: does that show how high my stress and depression levels were :shock: )