Ragwort or something else???

[Ginn]

When moving the fencing today I noticed a patch of something which looked very similar to this:

Both like this and dead. We did have a big buttercup problem this year and the stems of this plant were maybe only a foot tall and although appeared to be very much like ragwort (and were removed by the roots and burn't accordingly) they didn't have the usual ragwort leaves and were more clustered and shorter than one would normally expect! Now tomorrow I shall spend the day scouring the field on the look out for more of this plant and will remove it accordingly but whats worrying me is that its gone missed in the long grass and it is quite possibly an unusual form of ragwort. I got some on my fingers and noticed when i put my fingers in my mouth it tasted very much like dandilion (for those of you who have ever got dandilion taste on your fingers!).

?????? Fairly sure whatever it is its not meant to be there and its been worrying me all evening as when I noticed it it was getting too dark to spend hours hunting it down and digging it up!! Any ideas??????

 

[pottamus]

Hard to tell without seeing the leaf structure but the flowers look a bit like ragwort. If in any doubt get rid of it and please please please do not taste anything that looks remotely poisonous...ragwort is toxic to humans too!
To be on the safe side, I would dig it up and burn it as you did before.

 

[Clodagh]

Looks like ragwort to me. Difficult to tell with no leaves, as Pottamus says. Did it have caterpillars on it?

 

[Parkranger]

If in doubt, pull it out! x

 

[threeponies]

There are a few species of ragwort that have slight differences to each other. It certainly looks like ragwort. Like vicstress says, pull it up.

 

[alfirules]

thats ragwort!!! there are lots of different types . but your doing the right thing by digging it up.

 

[Ginn]

Thanks guys - as you can tell by the time of my original post it was keeping me up last night!!!! Leaves are like those of the buttercups which is what threw me.

Ok, next question - she go out twice into the long grass this week, if she has eaten a little of it (which I doubt as there is lots of long grass which I imagine she'd be more drawn to!) do I need to contact my vet or if I get rid of every bit of the stuff (todays mission!!) and so there is no way of her eating any of more do I need to worry. She seems bright and well but this is really bothering me!

 

[mandy4727]

I would like to think if there is plenty of grass in the field that she would disregard the ragwort. Apparently it tastes crap so they don't eat it unless nothing else to eat or it is dried in hay or haylage. But as rule I read that they don't normally eat it. But then again I suppose there are exceptions to the rule.

 

[Claireg9]

i wouldnt worry to much about your horse having eat it, they tend never to eat it on purpose, as to you, if you've been sucking your fingers id definitly think about the doctors, it is highly poisonus to us too!
Pull it out burn it and monitor your gg, i'll bet she is fine.
Incidently i did know a pony once that had ragwort poisoning she ate it in her hay as they cant taste it as much when its dead... anyhow she had to have about a tun of molasses every day to control her liver (Think its liver) but in the end she was PTS, but it was after about 7 years of healthy competitive life.
Not trying to worry you though, its just she is the only ever pony i have none in 24 years of riding that has had it, and ive met a lot of horses, so what im saying or trying to say is its very unlikely you'll have a problem.
Claire x

 

[Parkranger]

Horses and ponies do eat ragwort - I've known of two that have died of it!

It's really not worth the risk - it builds up in the liver over the life of the horse so a little bit here and there builds up to cause problems in later life.

Dig it up then it won't worry you - that's what I did......a couple of hours work for piece of mind x

 

[alfirules]

i wouldn't have thought she would have eaten it. it's unlikly she has. your doing everything right by digging it up. tilly will be fine!

 

[Ginn]

Panic over! After spending 2 1/2 hours digging the stuff up this morning we took some of it down to the vets to seek their advice - its a type of dandilion!!!