Ragwort

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Ragwort is a weed that can poison your horse, pony or donkey. If equines eat ragwort, it can damage their livers and eventually lead to death.

The Danger

Ragwort is one of the most common causes of plant poisoning of livestock in Britain. Horses, ponies and donkeys grazing in pasture with adequate palatable herbage usually avoid it but those newly turned out to pasture, or hungry after travelling, may be less discriminating. Ragwort is more likely to cause poisoning when incorporated into hay, silage or dried grass because it is undetectable, and its poisonous alkaloids are unaffected by the conservation process.

Effects and Signs

The basic effect of ragwort poisoning is to damage and ultimately destroy the equine's liver. This destruction is irreversible, and recovery of the animal is unlikely once the outward signs have appeared.
Early signs of ragwort poisoning are loss of condition, poor appetite and constipation.

The Solution

The first priority is, of course, to move your equine to another location where ragwort is not present, if you can. The ragwort plants then need to be removed.

Short term this can best be done by pulling, if the weed population is low. However, pulling will leave root fragments which will give rise to new plants. (cutting is not normally recommended since it encourages more vigorous re-growths - however it is acceptable in an emergency situation).

Long term, the use of a herbicide is often the most effective way of solving a ragwort problem. Ragwort seedlings are readily killed by herbicides but mature plants are more difficult to control. Timing the application of a herbicide is critical and this should take place either in April/early May or in September/October.

In either case the ragwort plants should be allowed to die and disintegrate before equines are reintroduced, or a hay or silage crop is taken.

Good ploughing will kill all established ragwort plants and if coupled with a period of arable cropping, will reduce, if not exhaust the supply of ragwort seeds in the soil.

Sheep grazing in spring will weaken ragwort and keep it at a low level, to prevent reinfestation. However, as sheep are also susceptible to ragwort poisoning it is essential to provide adequate alternative fodder.

Cox the Saddler would like to thank the ILPH for this article.
The ILPH are available at www.ilph.org

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