SPECIAL EDITION

RAGWORT ALERT:

Naturally most of us horse-owners are happy that the consequence of all this rain in June & July is growing grass for our horses...but, there's another plant that's also thriving:

RAGWORT, & IT KILLS HORSES:

It's a good idea to get out into your horse's pasture and dig these little perishers up!  get all the roots, wear gloves, keep your horse away.

This is what you're looking for:  possibly as tall as a metre high by now with pretty little deadly yellow daisies on top as below:

The 'rosette' stage as above is easy to identify as it's quite frilly and attractive, but like my Mum says, most things that are yellow are poisonous.

Don't let it survive or thrive, dig it up, burn it, stop it in it's tracks. 

If you're cutting hay be even more vigilant, Ragwort is easily caught up and dried into bales of hay and the bitter taste is gone once the dead plant is dry, leaving it very palatable.  Cutting rather than pulling ragwort might seem an option, but viable root systems will remain in the ground to revive and make another plant. if you have lots, kill it with spray, or better yet, get a professional to do it for you. 

Something like 'Grazon' needs only a few weeks after spraying before you can graze your horse on it again, I keep Tom & Henry off mine twice as long as it says...just in case. But there are a few things to know about this:

Grazon will kill ragwort & buttercup, BUT once dead ragwort will become palatable - so clear it completely away before letting your horse back on it. It takes several weeks for the plants to properly die.  Don't use Grazon to control ragwort unless you are prepared to clear up properly and completely after ward.

LETS GET RID OF THIS MENACE ONCE AND FOR ALL.

TCJpart55 Weeding

IT'S TIME TO WEED:

While the ground is still damp and the weeds are beginning to take control of their little areas of domain, it's the perfect time to get out there and do some gardening...equine style!

Firstly, it's very important that you recognise the poisonous weeds your horse can gain access to.  Whether it's your land or not, your responsibility is to your horse since no one else will love him as you do.  Don't wait for someone else to take action, do it yourself!!  So, get some advice, read some literature with plenty of photos and get out and start pulling!




Here are a few of the dangers your horse might come in contact with, from gardens, to parks, bridlepaths and countryside, always be on the look-out:  If you suspect your horse has ingested any of these plants, don't take any risk, call your vet immediately for advice!


Never let your horse snatch a bite en-route just incase!

But, as a very general rule: if it's got a yellow flower, chances are it's poisonous!

We live in the countryside so my weeds might be different from yours, remember some of the most innocuous looking plants can be fatal, and it's important to learn which ones you have in your area.  Plants like privet and yew amongst others are lethal for example.


Happily, horses have evolved over millions of years learning not to eat things that will kill them, but on the plains there are very different plants.  Human introduction of alien plants into our island mean we have to be vigilant, because our horse may not recognise the good from the bad.

IMPORTANT EQUIPMENT:

The weeds that could be fatal to horses or make them sick are in all likelihood not that great for us either, so be prepared *(the Brownie moto), and have the right stuff ready. 

Firstly you'll need gloves, I prefer the sort that has rubber palm area, designed I think for wearing whilst painting preserver on your shed and fence - you know the type.  Some plants have irritating leaves, or 'milk' in the stems that can give some people a nasty rash when they're pulled up or snapped.  So wear long sleeves too.

Secondly you'll need a weed puller, this is to be certain all the roots get pulled, not just the leaves you can see.  Ragwort for example, has tiny roots, all capable of producing a new plant even if the tiniest piece of root remains in the ground - so get it all! 

You'll need a bag to put the weeds and roots in, and if like me you're in the fields with your horses, that bag will need to be sealable - just in case you have a horse like Henry who wants to stick his head in everything.

WEEDS I HAVE ON MY LAND THAT MUST DIE: and how to recognise the good from the bad and the ugly.


RAGWORT: It's not ugly, but it's very, very bad and must be properly destroyed wherever you find it.

Get it now whilst it's still at rosette stage.  It's easy to spot, but if I'm unsure I'll pull it anyway since it's still a weed if it doesn't look like grass!  Get the rag fork in right beside the main stem and lift, you're trying to get all the roots out so be gentle. 

Once you have this weed up, you must dispose of it properly since it's an 'injurious' weed and controlled by the Weeds Act: see my blog from September last year about this evil weed.  The only way to be sure, is to burn it.  Don't try to compost it, some parts might remain viable live material.

HEMLOCK: it's bad and ugly and flowers in June, a full month after cowparsley.


Hemlock is an angry looking plant, with huge talon-like darker leaves, it doesn't flower until June, but the flowers are a little similar to cow parsley, and that's the confusing part, because in a countryside hedgerow, you may not be able to see the leaves, and the two plants are never flowering at the same time to compare. But general rule, if it's flowering in May and smells like the countryside in spring, its likely cow parsley, if it flowers in June with an unpleasant odour, it's likely Hemlock. if your at all confused, don't take the chance with your horse - dig it up!

Learn to recognise this and don't get it confused with Cow Parsley.  Buttercups also in this photo are also not good for horses and should be dug up where possible. 

COWPARSLEY: looks like this, is very pretty and has light fern-like leaves..it's good...

Cow Parsley, or as Tom & Henry like to call it: a tasty treat, is fine for horses, and looks 'friendly' and light.  It's leaves are lacy and the flowers smell like spring.  It's flowering now: middle of May.

Hemlock is poisonous to horses and can't be allowed into their grazing area.  More palatable once dry too so when you pull it, take it all away, every last little bit. It smells nasty too, so that's another clue.




BUTTERCUPS:

They grow in damp conditions and although not tasty are also not unpleasant to horses, so they might eat it if there's little else. The odd mouthful is usually OK, but horses who consume more would get very sick. My advice, get rid of it.

HARMLESS WEEDS THAT NEED CONTROLLING, BUT NOT ERADICATED:some plants we call weeds, because we don't want them in our herbaceous borders can actually be beneficial to our horses.


NETTLES: ugly and good.

My Mum swears by nettle to help with her rheumatism, she just plunges her arms into the bush and the tiny hairs that embed in the skin that cause irritation, actually increase blood flow and help relieve the pain.

Nettles should be kept under control since like mint, if you leave it to itself it'll take over.  That said, if you pull nettles in your paddock don't be tempted to throw it all away, leave a few branches  to dry and your horses will enjoy munching them.  They are supposed to have health benefits too.

THE EVIL AMONGST US: RAGWORT

Common Ragwort: Senecio Jacobaea

Above: the pretty yellow daisies of the plant, and below at 'rosette' stage.

THIS PLANT IS POISONOUS AND MUST BE KILLED

DEFRA: How to identify Ragwort

All times of the year we must be vigilant in our own fields to dig up and destroy this plant.  The damage it causes, the suffering to horses with irreversible liver damage, who have ingested the weed and the ultimate death of some horses too is just too horrible to bear. Whether it's your own land or not, whether it's your legal responsibility or not, you have a duty of care to your horse, if he's grazing around this weed, get in there yourself with a rag-fork and dig these plants up, please, don't wait for someone else to get round to it.  It might be too late.

Most horses will graze carefully around the weed, until they run out of grass.  It is especially palatable dried in hay, so be extra careful where your hay comes from.  See the field before it's cut if possible just to be certain.

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

Enforcing the Weeds Act form:

A new Ragwort Control Act 2003 amends the Weeds Act, giving added protection to horses. The Ragwort Control Act makes it easier to prosecute those who disregard the need to control Ragwort.    

Defra have a Code of Practice which offers comprehensive guidance and advice on all matters to do with Ragwort, and it's clear from all agencies that a landowner must treat land infested by ragwort.

The Code of Practice: DEFRA

However, if you see horses grazing in a field with ragwort growing in it, the lines of enquiry gets a little fuzzy, since no one takes responsibility for the prevention, only the prosecution.

I spent all morning on the phone just trying to get someone interested in 2 horses near me grazing around plants waist high in their field.  They have since been moved off the land - phew!  The RSPCA will of course investigate ruthlessly any horse suffering with obvious signs of poisoning, (too late in my view) and Natural England will act if the land is public.  DEFRA tell me it is not illegal to have the weed on land, but you can fill in a form to report the sighting.  The problem is that if you dont know who owns the land they will not help so you're on you're own again! 

You can download the form from DEFRA's website.



So where does someone go when nobody wants to do anything unless someone is already breaking the law?  The answer for me turned out to be the brilliant BHS!!  They pledged to send a local rep to visit the site and try to speak to the landowner, and the horses were moved that week - well whoever went, likely saved those horses lives. thank you.

Personally I'm a rag-fiend, and dig up the evil little perishers wherever I see them, in fact many a curly leaved dandelion has lost it's life to my rag-dig!  John has 'invented' a cunning little device everyone of us can have: it's a weed puller (The normal two pronged fork that I have dotted in safe locations all around my land), and he's attached it to the handle of my poo-picker (using an old HORSE magazine mobile phone holder). It means I can dig them up every day when I poo pick, and because I'm super vigilant this way, I get them at rosette stage (often tiny), and they're easy to get up. So poo-pick and rag-dig at the same time, and keep on-top of those chores!

Tom demonstrating how the rag fork can be easily attached to the handle of the poo picker, and it doesn't get in the way when he grabs the handle to chew it and carries it off!

Wear gloves, carry a bag to keep the weeds in once you've removed them, remember to try to get all the roots (they can be quite long), and keep them away from your horses.  I take mine in-doors and put them on the fire to burn, it's the only way to be sure.

I want to keep my boys safe, and that's why I adopt a very strict policy where Ragwort is concerned: I KILL IT.

Lets keep all our horses safe please, and ultimately help stop the spread of the 'evil' Ragwort xx