thistles?

[Stinkbomb]

Thistles what do you do with yours? do you top the field, pull them out, or use some kind of weed killer?
Are they bad for your horse if you leave them? And if you top your field how soon can you graze on it and do you have to gather the cut ones up?

Sorry question overload!!!

 

[Natalie_H]

We have our field weedkilled once a year. They only need to be off it for 5 days (providing it rains after the field has been done). They start wilting within a couple of days & die off rapidly. You can dig them out, but too much like hard work in my opinion!! Mine will eat them given the opportunity, & it never does them any harm.

The weedkilling also serves to kill off any other nasties!

 

[NewHeights_SJ]

I thought thistles were fine to leave - and actually think some types are good for your horse??

Dont quote me on that, havent seen an in our fieds but will be good to know.

 

[VictoriaEDT]

milk thistles are v v good for horses - good for their liver. Mine will hunt down a milk thistle 10 miles away!

 

[Stinkbomb]

how do you know a normal thistle from a milk thistle???

 

[jinglejoys]

[ QUOTE ]
how do you know a normal thistle from a milk thistle???

[/ QUOTE ]

Taste it!

My Malaga likes thistles though he prefers burdock and the Rheas at work do a great job of clearing them!

 

[custard]

I think thistles are mostly pretty good, I think if you top and leave them horses will tidy them up. Mine loves the purple flowers!

 

[Stinkbomb]

Yes Inky loves them but he has started to get little cuts around his mouth. I cant understand why he likes them, he looks in pain when he's chewing on them!!

 

[AngB]

I don't have thistles.....BUT my biggest waste of dosh was on a horse called Jimmy. He was an absoulte dud and I got sucked in big time - he was misrepresented to me, and in hindsight the arrogant b*tch that sold him to me should have got my warning bells ringing.

Not only did he try to kill me with a full on helter skelter bolt, he wasn't even worth re-educating 'cos his front tendons were shot to pieces!! I learnt the hard way (via a nasty fall - which fortunately only left me concussed and bruised), to ALWAYS get a horse Vet checked before purchase. If I had not trusted the seller I would have done so.

I found out after I got rid of him that this was not the first horse sold by her that had been a major hazard. She did give me 2/3 of my money back after I grizzled big time - but I will never take someone on face value ever again, after that bad experience.

 

[*hic*]

Mine love eating the flowers with much face pulling and lip curling but my husband hates to see the thistles and has insisted the whole plot is weedkilled. Bang goes my organic certification!

The original plan was to pull them from the hayfield before it's cut and leave the rest of the land with whatever chose to grow (with the exception of ragwort!). Both the horses and the sheep enjoy being on the selfsown pasture and choose to eat many different plants so I shall be very sad to lose it - but I guess it's worth it to have a calm and happy (I hope) husband again.

 

[Capriole]

some types of thistle are classed as an injurious weed in the same group as ragwort

 

[Dogbetty141]

i didnt think any thistles were bad my horses eats them if they are in his way of grass!

 

[Chex]

I leave thistles - Chex loves them. He'll spend ages delicately picking off the purple bits. I think they must be really yummy because it seems like a lot of pain and effort just to eat them!

 

[Capriole]

it dependes what type, several are bad, check out the defra website

 

[AngB]

Oh sorry about my post above.... I must not have had my first coffee for the day - and my brain wasn't functioning!! Somehow I got lost between the 'biggest waste of horsey money' and the thistle thread. Duh!

 

[PapaFrita]

I used to pull them up until I realised horses liked to eat them!! This was in the UK though.
I'm not sure we've got thistles here *thinks thinks* not at my yard, anyway.