New grazing and ragwort

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Madali

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We have brought a farm that has been empty for 7 years.
The fields (12 acres )were a terrible mess and over the last 9 months we have cut, weed killed,fertilised and fenced one of the paddocks. This is about 5 acres.
My question is do you think that 3 horses with plenty of grass would eat any Ragwort that was still in the field?
I have done my best to remove what I can find but the area is massive and it is a bit of a big deal finding it all.
Currently my mares are on full livery and they are already not turning out. I have a fiery four year old who is finding this a struggle.
My dilemma is. Bring them home and live like horses. Possible exposure to random Ragwort.
Leave them on very expensive livery standing in a stable 23 hours a day.
All advice gratefully received.
 
Why not section it into smaller areas with electric fencing? That way the smaller areas are more manageable to find and pull up the ragwort, and once you've cleared one section you can put your horses there. That way you can make the section larger the more ragwort you clear from the big field.
 
If you have cleared it as best you can you have probably missed only a few plants, they are not very palatable so as long as there is plenty to eat the horses should be fine, 3 horses on 5 acres of rested grass will be highly unlikely to eat any ragwort that is still there. I would certainly move them so they can get out.
 
I would probably bring them home and just keep on walking the field every day with a wheelbarrow and keep pulling.
I have almost 50 acres and we are in constant battle with Ragwort -- we always end up pulling whatever is left by hand. Once the horses have eaten the grass down a little it's easier to see any leftover Ragwort, but they'd still have enough grass that they shouldn't touch it. It becomes more palatable as it dries out so I'd be tempted to confine them to a smaller area at this point so you can be more vigilant.
 
I agree with be positive. I go round my 34 acres regularly digging ragwort but know I am very unlikely to spot 100% of the plants.
 
Thanks for replies. I did think about section in got off but wanted them to run free for a change.
The other thing is the four year old is a fence wrecker if she thinks the grass is greener on the other side.
I have paid my rent till end of month so will spend an hour a night checking and digging any up.
I think I am being paranoid as I have waited so long to live our dream.
 
Turn them out, they won't eat growing ragwort if they have enough grass to eat. You have plenty of land,so you can fence off sections in the spring and re-spray if necessary. Buy a Ragfork, they do work.
 
I would turn out & check field daily whilst poopicking. It's unlikely the horses will eat ragwort if there is grass available. Horses can get a taste for ragwort if they have had to eat it due to lack of grass.
 
As above. My last place had ragwort, but the horses didn't touch it, as they had plenty of grass. I dug up a load every time I poo-picked, and soon had it under control.
 
I have been told sheep eat out the weeds, but just on with testing that theory got 10 lambs on just of 4 acres not found a ragwort plant yet !
 
Sheep definitely keep land clear of ragwort. I pull the ragwort every year and it has decreased significantly over the 21 years we have lived here, used to take me two weeks with a trailer and now takes me two hours with a wheel barrow but my next door neighbour never had ragwort but had a flock of sheep. He died a few years ago and the sheep were sold and his fields are now full of ragwort.
 
If Ragwort has been previously allowed to grow in your fields then you will have many years of Ragwort seeds in the ground. (Each Ragwort plant generates about 100,000 seeds).

You need to get a spraying contractor in to thoroughly spray all your fields to kill off all the Ragwort including their roots as otherwise they will regenerate. It may be necessary to spray them twice. This should be done in July/August.

You can then treat individual plants with Barrier H again two applications at a two weekly interval to ensure they are completely killed off including the roots.

Ragwort is a calmulative poison to horses which means each time they eat some it will kill off some of their liver cells. Do not allow them to graze on fields which has Ragwort in it - some of them will eat it.
 
The reason you see those pictures of horses in fields stuffed full of flowering ragwort is because they won't eat it unless there is nothing else to eat - and by nothing else I mean bare earth.
 
Definitely bring your horses home and walk the field each day to dig any ragwort that you see. If you have post and rail fencing then I suggest a strip of electric inside the top rail to stop your fence-wrecker (this has stopped ours!).
 
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