Buttercups - Can you give anything to stop a horse reacting?

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Cheiro1

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hey guys,

I was just after a bit of advice. My mares field has quite a lot of butter cups this year.

She nicked her front pastern about 3 days ago, tiny tiny nick, and now her whole heel has gone really sore and scabby, I assume a reaction to the buttercups! :(

I have kept it covered and put derma gel on it, but is there anything I can give her to try and stop her reacting so badly? :(
 
Following this thread with interest as I'm having the same problem! My mare's back heals are are scabby and bloody due to I think the buttercups (I have heaps of them!) Currently just using sudocream to stop the flies making it worse!
 
I'm pretty sure it's the pollen that can cause an irritation (correct me if I'm wrong?). We've left it too late to spray our fatty paddocks this year (as fatties are already in residence!) so every other weekend I mow them to keep the flowers at bay. We don't have a tractor or anything so I can be seen trollying back and forth with our petrol lawn mower. Gives the locals a giggle and does take a while but has made a huge difference, won't miss they spraying boat next year!
 
You have to wash the legs to remove the pollen, putting a cream over will keep the pollen on the skin causing more irritation. Once washed and dried then put a barrier cream, but really you need to keep horse away from the buttercups, they also cause colic. Dexadressin the vets use for hives, and difficulty breathing due to pollen and swollen legs and stuff so speak to vet for an injection.
 
Buttercups are poisoness to horses. So if you're having problems, you're going to need to remove the horse.
 
Also reading with interest as having problems with both of mine. Mare's face has quite a few sore and scabby patches which I've been treating with hydrocortisone cream (which, on vet's recommendation, has worked in the past when she's had a reaction to something).

Noticed this morning that my gelding also has scabs on his legs. A reaction to buttercups would make much more sense than my first thought of mud fever as all our fields are riddled with them. Never had a problem with either horse in the past but I know another horse on the yard was being treated for a 'skin condition' last night (didn't get chance to chat so don't know the details) but could also be buttercup-induced.

Can easily bathe the affected areas but short of keeping in 24/7 can't avoid the buttercups completely - I'm sure there are many others in the same boat this year.
 
I've got a really bad reactor to them and my buttercups this year are legion as I got fed up with pointless spraying.

The only effective way is to top them. They are fine once dry as the poisonous aromatic compound evaporates. Might be a bit sharp for topping though as you may get them back. I'd leave it for 10 days and then top.

My Weimerama is really hating them but I give him piriton which you can get from hyperdrug really cheaply. I think you can also give this to horses but you would need alot and certainly NOT licenced.

Good luck!
 
The toxin in buttercups affects the horse's liver when consumed, this then causes photosensitisation and scabbing/sores on noses and white legs. I don't know whether a liver tonic like milk thistle seed would help if there's no other option but to graze them on land with buttercups? I might try it myself - we're overrun with buttercups this year and only usually have a few.
 
99% sure it’s a reaction to the pollen that causes photosensitivity, my pony and her field mate certainly aren’t eating then as they’re about a foot high and yet she has a scabby nose a few weeks ago, the same time that the pollen turned her nose slightly yellow. Are you sure it’s not mud fever on the legs?
 
It most definitely wont be mud fever it will be from the buttercups but i fear the absorbtion in to the blood stream which will reach the liver. I bought a sickle and just topped the buttercups that were growing very thick and raked them up. Doing something is better than doing nothing imo.
 
Those of you who have topped your buttercups have you done this while the horses are still grazing in the field/turned out immediately after? I'm considering doing this but I'm worried that cutting the heads of and leaving all the open stems will cause more burn/irritation as they will be all sappy? Also do you collect up the heads once you've topped or do you leave in the field for them to dry out and be eaten?

Apologies to anyone who is getting sick of me talking about tis subject, it's all I ever seem to write about!
 
Thanks for all the replies guys - I really appreciate it!

Field was topped but the ******s have grown back, just closer to the floor! She isn't eating them at all and hasn't ever had a problem with them on her skin but I guess the pollen has got in her little bit of broken skin :(

I have been washing and putting derma gel on and then covering. I will continue to do this and hope the reaction will ease soon :(
 
kat2290 said:
Those of you who have topped your buttercups have you done this while the horses are still grazing in the field/turned out immediately after? I'm considering doing this but I'm worried that cutting the heads of and leaving all the open stems will cause more burn/irritation as they will be all sappy? Also do you collect up the heads once you've topped or do you leave in the field for them to dry out and be eaten?

Apologies to anyone who is getting sick of me talking about tis subject, it's all I ever seem to write about!
Click to expand...

I use the collector on the mower and then wheelbarrow it out of the field. 2 Acres takes me a day, worth it although it does take a while lol!
 
mine get it on their noses.
so i clean off the pink skin with warm water- lots of it.
then once dry smoother with factor fifty well rubbed in and do this twice a day. so far noses pink no burning. and i have a crop of the darned things on the fields :(
 
I'm doing the same as Amandaco on this....my boy's moved onto restricted grazing for the summer months (to keep the weight down) and he too is very sensitive on his nose area to the sun and buttercups.

Unfortunately there are a few of these flowers on his patch and i've been popping a factor 50 sunblock cream on his nose these past few weeks when the sun's been with us and he's doing well. He's out overnight and in at 8am so he's out of most of the strong sunshine during the course of the day.

I've thought i may just top the ******s myself and collect up what i can one evening, when i get a minute.
 
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