How does a horse protect itself from ragwort?
A horse typically will not eat Ragwort when it is fresh as it
taste bitter. However when it is dried it has no flavor and horses
will consume it, either on pasture or in hay. Ragwort is toxic and
causes cirrhosis of the liver. It can take as little as 3% of the
horses body weight in ragwort to cause destruction of the
liver.
Ragwort has many other names, but they all fall under the
scientific names of Jacobaea Vulgaris , and syn. Senecio
jacobaea.
Common names for Ragwort include: Benweed, st.
James-wort,ragweed, tansy ragwort, staggerwort, cushag, mare's
fart,cankerwort, dog standard , stammerwort, and stinking
nanny/willy/ninny.
You can prevent ragwort poisoning by hand weeding any area where
a horse may have contact with ragwort, ensure you pull up the
complete root system or it will regrow.