Ragwort, would you graze your horse in this field, someone does with theirs

Pedantic

Pedantic

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Came across this today while doing a job, sometimes there are 2 horses in the field so I was told :(

I have filled in a BHS awareness form in ready to send, just needs a stamp.
 
The thing is, as far as I could see, the surrounding fields were clear of it, so this person is not only not bothering about their animal/s, they are going to let it spread to infect others properties, irresponcible or what :mad::mad:
 
What is the point in having a horse if you can't give it basic field management, and to put other peoples horse at risk also, who take the time to pull it, out just for their horses to get it from the next field, its terrible
 
Guilty feeling spreading up in me know. Have ragwort, not v bad, in my fields. just the odd stalk, cant pull it out due to back pain...... the other lady that uses my fields (owns Jim) does not seem to mind it that much and just leaves it for me to do.
 
Oh good god, thats shocking. I've seen the effects of a horse with ragwort poisoning inside aswell as out and it's not a pretty sight, these people obviously have no idea, and need warning before its too late :(
 
Awful and inexcuseable. :(

Ragwort poisoning is a dreadful in horses, slow and painful.

You used to be able to report direct to Natural England. Not sure what the process is but a two pronged attack may have more results?
 
I can beat that! This is a field near me.
HPIM1556.jpg

The farmer breeds these ponies and there are about 20 on these fields, he has around 50 altogether, goodness knows why he keeps breeding.I have passed this picture on to the BHS, and asked what they can do about indiscriminate breeding.
 
:O I thought the field my boy is in was bad, but its nothing like those photos! At least I tend to the horrid stuff, Theres no excuse for the state of that though
 
It sure is a slow and painful death, but as a rule horses wont eat it when its alive like that...unless they really are starving and there is nothing else to eat...I wouldn't take the risk but there you go!! its not hard to spend a day ragwort pulling.
 
jessicabeau1 said:
It sure is a slow and painful death, but as a rule horses wont eat it when its alive like that...unless they really are starving and there is nothing else to eat...I wouldn't take the risk but there you go!! its not hard to spend a day ragwort pulling.
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Thats a rule that is easily broken if there is nothing else left to eat in the fields..I was going to take a friend of a friends horse on my property last year if he recovered from the poisoning unfortunatly he didnt:(
 
jessicabeau1 said:
It sure is a slow and painful death, but as a rule horses wont eat it when its alive like that...unless they really are starving and there is nothing else to eat...I wouldn't take the risk but there you go!! its not hard to spend a day ragwort pulling.
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Ooops sorry didnt read your middle part...about em starving sorry :o
 
I have seen a pony who had ragwort poisoning and it was aweful.I make sure every piece of ragwort is pulled out of my field and I double check it everyday.Horrible stuff.Those pics are terrible,more ragwort than Ive ever seen.Why dont they clean it up???
 
Quite irresponsible to allow any ragwort to grow at all. The horses should be taken off the field and the entire field sprayed with a ragwort specific spray. Then once the ragwort has completely died all the ragqwort should be removed and burnt.

I have no sympathy for people that allow ragwort to grow on their fields as it spreads to other peoples grazing.
 
We travelled all the way from Stafford to Hatfield the other day down the M6 and ragwort was not once out of sight. I drove OH crazy ranting about pulling them out and now the council/highways agency let it get like that. Making a rod for their own back already in some places it is taking over.

Then passing a field with horses and plenty of ragwort he said...'is that ragwort...why are there horses in there then if its poisonous....why are they allowed to keep horses?' Sweet nievity we are all thinking it.

Although classic of a woman pulling it up and throwing it into the hedge...doh! Mentioning no names of course.

Only way I know to get rid of it is to burn it. Invite all your friends over to ragwort pick and in the evening burn it on a bonfire and have a bbq. perhaps my childhood wasn't normal! How does anyone else get rid of it?
 
Now, It is mandatory to get rid of the horrid thing on your land, which I totally agree with, but I noticed when walking through my village, there was loads of ragwort growing anyway not too far from horses field, on public property, and they are getting pretty tall, I would of thought council would have dealt with this, or is it not their problem? does anyone elses local council do weeding and disposing of poisonous plants? And to answer how I get rid of it, Me and a group usually go up with a load of bags and packed lunch and spend the day up in the field, then we chuck it all on the bonfire....goodbye evil plant!..for now
 
Llewellyn said:
Only way I know to get rid of it is to burn it. Invite all your friends over to ragwort pick and in the evening burn it on a bonfire and have a bbq. perhaps my childhood wasn't normal! How does anyone else get rid of it?
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If you burn it, it has to be in a closed incinerator type thing, not an open bonfire as acc to the authorities the seeds rise up in the smoke and are spread. Of course they would know being the worst culprits at ragwort cultivation....
 
bay_beasty said:
Guilty feeling spreading up in me know. Have ragwort, not v bad, in my fields. just the odd stalk, cant pull it out due to back pain...... the other lady that uses my fields (owns Jim) does not seem to mind it that much and just leaves it for me to do.
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Can you not pay or bribe someone to pull it out for you?
 
Every year I get huge amounts of rag in my winter field, I spend around 2 weeks pulling it up and burning it and every year it does get a little less. My problem is I am beside a motorway which has a huge amount of rag on the verges.
All my fields gets pulled and dug and sprayed I have tried everything and while I feel I am fighting a losing battle I keep on doing it, I read somewhere that a ragwort seed can live for 20 years waiting in the ground to germinate in the right conditions.
I have finished pulling all my fields except one which will be started this weekend and will take around 1 week to finish, ok it takes me a while but I do get it done every year so there is no excuse to leave rag like in the OP photo.
 
Please be very careful if you burn ragwort that people do not stand where they will inhale the smoke
I am sure I read on one Forum about someone's OH collapsing and being taken to hospital doing just that.
When I first rented land here I pulled once a month through summer, usually just 1 wheelbarrow full, then acquired sheep and rarely even see a rosette in horses grazing but do pull on waste ground which would seed into mine.
I usually compost the plants in woodland--nothing has ever grown in the wood.

DEFRA GUIDANCE
http://www.defra.gov.uk/wildlife-pets/wildlife/management/weeds/pdf/ragwort-dispose.pdf
 
my fields have the odd stalk in - i let it grow to flowering stage to its easier to get out and spot - rather than tackling it at rosette stage - there's planty of grass so i don't worry that my horse would eat it - i would however be v embarrassed if my field ever looked that bad!
 
bay_beasty said:
Guilty feeling spreading up in me know. Have ragwort, not v bad, in my fields. just the odd stalk, cant pull it out due to back pain...... the other lady that uses my fields (owns Jim) does not seem to mind it that much and just leaves it for me to do.
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OH has a broken back with rods in so pain + limited flexibility to bend down but he finds it easy to ragwort pull with a proper ragwort fork. He whizzes round the field on his mobility scooter with the fork and comes back with a full dustbin bag hanging on the back :)
 
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