Dgers!Do you all understand about ragwort?

[Yann]

I wish people would take it more seriously, we have a problem with it in our fields and very few of the liveries can be bothered to do anything about it, which has left it to those that can to bring it under control and at least stop it getting any worse.

It's a very pernicious weed, I once found a plant growing in my lawn at home, god knows how it got there

[bramblesmum]

I was out there last night digging them up with my ragfork, am definatly thinking of getting some stuff to treat the field with next year (unless I can do it now???) I have seen a friends pony go downhill due to liver poisioning and hate the stuff, it seems to have really sprouted in the last few weeks.

[emi]

At our yard, the owners make it clear that it is the horse owner's responsibility to make sure their own fields are clear of ragwort. Everyone in our field makes sure it is clear of the stuff but there is a lady who has her horse (on its own) in the field next to ours who hasn't bothered to get rid of it, and there is a lot. Obviously this is bad for her horse's health, but could it affect our horses because the field is next to ours?

[Yann]

I may be wrong but I think you need to leave the stuff to rot away ungrazed after you've sprayed, dead ragwort isn't nearly as unpalatable as live stuff.

[chrissiew]

I wish people would take it more seriously, we have a problem with it in our fields and very few of the liveries can be bothered to do anything about it, which has left it to those that can to bring it under control and at least stop it getting any worse.

This frustrates me too at our yard, the few get out there and do it and others just seem to ignore it (but get all het up and think you are neglecting your horse if you don't groom it head to tail every time you put it to "bed"!!!! :

Afraid I take a hard line - told one young girl whose horse is in my sister's field (where my sister was single handedly ragworting despite sharing it with 3 other owners!), that I hope she realised her horse would die if he ate it! Harsh - maybe, but to be fair she took it on board and has been out there doing it since!

I thought it was less palatable when alive as it has a very bitter taste and therefore it does put the majority of horses off eating it when live (before anyone jumps on me I am NOT advocating ignoring it), but is highly dangerous when wilted and dead as it has no taste then and horses don't realise they are eating it. Hence why its deadliest form is in hay when we might not even realise our horses are eating it

We really struggle at our yard with it, despite pulling all plants, because it continually blows off the hill above us where a lazy farmer just allows it to go free range and never does anything, except occasionally top it

[bramblesmum]

Thanks Yann I have two paddocks so could do one and let it rot out while they graze the other if that sounds okay? Do you know any products you can use? If not i'll stick with my muscle building ragforking!

[HeatherL*]

In case anyone needs it there's a link below to the disposal guidelines for Ragwort from DEFRA.

www.defra.gov.uk/farm/wildlife/weeds/pdf/ragwort-dispose.pdf

[bridge]

Jul 24, 2008 12:06:27 GMT 1 Kelly Marks said:

Bridge - that could be really useful to people - many thanks. I always thought everything was DEFRA but this seems a lot more useful.

Kelly

No probs!! I was impressed with Surrey County Council in both their fast action and their website. Take look here www.surreycc.gov.uk/sccwebsite/sccwspages.nsf/LookupWebPagesByTITLE_RTF/Ragwort?opendocument

Not bad for a local Council!!

[touly]

I spot spray ragwort rosettes with Barrier H. I rotate my horses on 4 x one acre paddocks. I walk up and down and squirt it. Just done one field this morning as an ideal day - hot, windless and dry as a bone. In Spring and Autumn ragwort laps it up. Within two hours the plants are black and wilting. It gives me the greatest pleasure to watch them die!!! I choose the largest as my benchmark. When that's disappeared I can graze my horses on it again. It's never been longer than four weeks so far, altho' as I catch them at the rosette stage they never get too big. Interim times ie. summer and winter I dig with a ragfork as there's not so many, altho' Barrier H is effective thro'out the year and kills to the roots. Still like painting the Forth bridge here tho' as we have approx 10 acres of ex-cow pasture at the back of our land that, as Sara K. wrote, grows like a crop. We've been clearing our land now for the 16 years we've lived here and no doubt will be for the next 16 years. Depressing, but I do recommend Barrier H.

[bramblesmum]

Where would stock BarrierH it sounds ideal for my paddocks

[Casper]

Aware of the horrors which ragwort can cause. And what really worries me is that it can be in hay bales too, and far less visible. Yet equally damaging. Luckily our YO makes all her own haylage for our yard, and we know the land is ragwort free. But not everyone is that lucky.

[touly]

www.barrier-biotech.com/ragwort.php
Here's the link. In particular read the "for more information" section.

[Sue & Tinta]

Fortunately our farmer / landowner is very knowledgeable regarding pasture management and so we have ragwort free pasture, hay and haylege

However I am quite alarmed at the field close to where I live that is covered in ragwort and has the local travelling folk's horses in there and more recently two young foals at foot where added to the herd.

I have contacted Defra and the ILPH in the vain hope that something can be done - although as I do not know who actually owns the land then it isn't very hopeful

[jackiedo]

Rach who owns the land? Is it UK Coal.

[HeatherL*]

Jul 24, 2008 14:52:45 GMT 1 Sue & Tinta said:

Fortunately our farmer / landowner is very knowledgeable regarding pasture management and so we have ragwort free pasture, hay and haylege

However I am quite alarmed at the field close to where I live that is covered in ragwort and has the local travelling folk's horses in there and more recently two young foals at foot where added to the herd.

I have contacted Defra and the ILPH in the vain hope that something can be done - although as I do not know who actually owns the land then it isn't very hopeful

Sue, I have this problem too! I've tried DEFRA and ILPH, today phoned trading standards who should enforce the animal welfare act and they told me to report to the RSPCA, done that today too! Not holding my breath as went through exactly the same procedure last year to no avail