Ragwort

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Purdie

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Hi, I'm new on here, this is my first post and I really need some advice. I'm on a DIY livery yard, which we have to sign a contract with every year. built into the contract is that we HAVE to get all hay from the yard owner. The field he is planning to make hay from I know for a fact has ragwort in it. Last year we found ragwort in the hay, and he had to destory it all, and purchase from someone else. I've been in the filed and seen ragwort in there, but I saw him last night walking round, looking for it. I know he's going to make hay out of it, and just say that he pulled it all out before he cut it, but that's what he did last year and we found some in the hay. Is there anything I can do???
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well i found out not that long ago that its actually illegal to have ragwort in large quantities growing in fields (so my friend says!) Its actually very poisionous to humans as well as horses and when its dried its considered extremely toxic i.e. powdered form so i wouldnt want to be near it tbh!
 
Find a different yard??

However, how much ragwort is there actually in the field - is it just the odd stalk or is it covered in it?
 
This is very difficult as you seem to be unable to access hay from anywhere else. Apart from finding a more acceptable yard somewhere else what about you and the other liveries volunteering to go out as a group at the weekend to clear all the ragwort you can find, bag it and burn it.

I know from experience as a YM just how many hours I have spent in the past wandering round grazing with my ragfork digging these blasted weeds out and the offer of some help would really have been very much appreciated.

Sadly, unless the grazing is sprayed to get rid of the plant, you will find yourselves digging it out year after year as the seeds and root pieces can stay viable for a very long time indeed.

It sounds as though your YO has learnt from last years haymaking so if you all pulled together and had a really good go at it this year Im sure he would appreciate it.
 
Unfortunately I'm not in a position to move yards. I have a very tempermental angolo arab mare who hates change. My husband and I are hoping to move house beginning of next year, away from the area we are in at the moment, and 2 moves in 6 months would send my lady wild.

There isn't that much, I've got my girl in an acre to her herself and I found about 15 rosettes which I have cleared. I know about the dangers of ragwort, but I was a child I had a pony who almost died of it which is why I'm so soncerned. The lengt of the grass now is waist height, so there is no way that he can be sure he's got it all. As for volunteering to help, he is the most awful YO i've ever met, and making his life easier is the last thing my or any of the other 15 ladies on my yard minds. I just want to get through this winter without poisoning my horse and leave as soon as I find a new house!
 
agree with spaniel - im on a DIY yard and i pull all the ragwort in my paddocks, and we also go around and pull ragwort in the fields that are going to be used for haylage for YO aswell.
 
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and making his life easier is the last thing my or any of the other 15 ladies on my yard minds.

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It's not actually about making his life easier though is it - it's about making the hay that your horse has to eat safe. I would have thought that there was a fundamental difference.
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To be honest I hadn't thought about it like that. If he is going to go a head and make hay out of it, I'llk have o talk the girls round and we'll do it ourselves. At least we'll know it's been done properly, unlike last year!
 
Since my mare nearly died of it I've been down pulling any ragwort out twice a day and I think our YO has finally realised how seriously she needs to take it now. You never know, if he sees you rooting through the hay field looking for it he may change his attitude and then you get ragwort free hay and a nice YO!!!
 
Couldn't agree more with AmyMay, you must consider your horses welfare, not the YO's. So, this weekend, all 16 of you, get out pulling up ragwort!!!
 
Can't you all have a protest? Surely to expect you to have iffy hay is downright unreasonable.

I'm not 100% sure of the figures but recall 2kg of dried ragwort is enough to do irreversible damage. I'd google it and print off the results to show him.

It may be he has to write off this year's crop and get it sprayed if it's that bad but he has a duty of care. I think you all need to make a stand
 
As for finding out that the YO is actually nice, that will never happen. He has actually hit a lady who used to be on the yard for asking him not to take the tractor and chain harrow in the field at the same time as the horse being in there. He said it's his land and he'll do what he likes, the only reason she didn't press charges is because he under estimated her and she punch him back. needless to say she left the yard the next day! We've discussed it this weekend and we've agreed we're not going to refuse to use the hay. The grass is too long, and full on stinging nettle and thistles to go though, we could never be sure we got it all without getting stung and shearded a live!
 
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