Ragwort, which blooms bright yellow in July and August, is highly toxic to horses. Particularly fatal: all parts of the plant contain the toxins that remain in the hay even when they are dried.
Horses usually avoid ragwort on their own
Ragwort is so poisonous
Mammals react differently to the contained toxins. Horses are particularly at risk, forty to eighty grams of ragweed can lead to death. A single stalk of the flowering plant weighs about seventy grams and thus contains the deadly dose of toxins.
The symptoms of poisoning
The signs of seneciosis (Schweinsberger's disease) may only show up rudimentarily or individually, so that the horse owner does not immediately associate them with ragweed. Poisoning is characterized by:
- A drop in condition
- indifference
- personality changes
- In the final stage fits of rage
- colic, constipation or diarrhea
- weight loss
- Frequent yawning
- Swelling and redness of the face and ankles
- photosensitivity
- Walking Desease
- . Uncoordinated movements
- yellowing of the eyes
- blindness
- Hepatic coma
The poisoning is untreatable and inevitably leads to the death of the animal.
Remove ragwort stocks on pastures
To protect the animals, ragwort should be combated consistently:
- Dig up rosettes as early as possible. Remove all root parts consistently so that the ragwort does not follow.
- Avoid stepping damage.
- Consistently overseed open areas in the turf.
Destroy the plant parts by disposing of them in the household waste. Alternatively, the plant can be composted in composting facilities or burned.
tips
Horse owners shouldn't be reassured by the sentence: "Horses aren't stupid and won't eat that!" Young animals in particular tend to pick up ragwort on the pasture. The toxins are also retained in the hay. Therefore only feed hay that has been declared free of Ragwort.