NORTHERNLIGHTS EQUESTRIAN

ARTICLE ON RAGWORT POISONING

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HORSES AND PONIES

                                                                                                    

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PROTECT YOUR HORSE OR PONY FROM THE DEADLY WEED

BE SAFE READ THIS

  • Poisoning can occur at ANY time of the year Ragwort poisoning destroys the liver, leading TO A SLOW painful death,RAGWORT IS Poisonous to most animals but horses and cattle are most susceptible
  • Once symptoms have appeared in an affected animal little can be done and it will usually die
  • Acts in a cumulative fashion - a small amount eaten over a period of time is just as damaging as one large dose
  • Animals eating 5 percent or more of their total daily diet of ragwort for periods exceeding 20 consecutive days will become serverly ill within 6 months
  • The plants
    1st year - rosette stage - most poisonous
    2nd year - stem/flower stage - each plant can produce 150,000 seeds, with a 70% germination rate
  • CAN A horse get ragwort poisoning without actually having any plants in their paddock! Would Seeds/spores from plants in neighboring fields blow over and contaminate a paddock apparently free from plants.I dont know, but a horse could possibly eat or inhale these - If so could cumulative poisoning begin. Maybe a study of the possiblities could be carried out by an enterprising young student.

How to kill Ragwort

Burning the plants with a garden "flame thrower"... they can grow back within a few weeks.

Plants can be dug up with a fork, but if bits of the root are left in the ground they grow back.

In our experience the only effective way of getting rid of Ragwort permanently is to spot spray the plants with a systemic weed killer like Roundup - best done at the rosette stage. This kills the roots and it DOESN'T grow back. You just have to keep applying it over a period of a year or two, as new plants will spring up elsewhere, but eventually, you do win the battle.

You will have to keep your horses out of the field for a week or two after each application...!

 

Ragwort - rosette stage

Ragwort - rosette stage

Many of the road side verges in the UK have a large amount of Ragwort growing

This land is probably owned by your local Council / Highways department

Look up their phone numbers, you want either

  • Highways Agency (Motorways and trunk roads)
    or for all other roads
  • Your Local Highways Authority -
    Look them up in your local telephone directory or the local authority website

 

Ragwort - Stem and flower stage
Ragwort - stem and flower stage

Ragwort poisoning - a slow and painful death for horses!

Ragwort is an "injurious weed" and is governed by the Control of Weeds Act 1959.

However, the new Ragwort Control Act came into force in February 2004 and amends the Weeds Act, gives added protection to horses, as well as other animals from the serious and sometimes fatal consequences of Ragwort poisoning. The Ragwort Control Act makes it easier to prosecute those who disregard the need to control Ragwort.

When ragwort threatens agricultural land, the landowner is required by Law to properly treat it. If they don't, DEFRA will make it happen!

In many cases, the landowner will be your local Council or Highways department. We contacted our local Council and they confirmed that they always investigate any reports of ragwort and will take the necessary steps to destroy it. However, someone has to report it in the first place, it might as well be you.