Is my field safe?

[wildponies]

So the move to the new yard is tomorrow evening. Stable is ready, paddock is ready. But, it's very colourful and full of weeds. YO said she will come and 'top' it soon but won't do it before we arrive because she'd rather leave it because of the grass amongst it. So, when i take Sal down there, I was planning on keeping her in overnight anyway, when i do turn her out - should i trust that she will pick out the good from the bad or should i insist that she's turned out in another area until weeds have been cleared?

She'll be coming from a completely weed free environment and i'm worried that she's become accustomed to not having to check what she's munching. That probably sounds ridiculous doesn't it? It's ragwort free but lots and lots of buttercups and god know's what else in there. What do you trustworthy NRers think?! :)

[entreat]

IMO, horses are perfectly capable of choosing the good over the bad most of the time, unless there is a shortage of good. Other people may not agree, but it's just me. I haven't seen my boys eating anything that could make them ill or worse.

[Bay Mare]

No, I agree with you. As long as there is plenty of the good stuff they'll ignore the bad. Our field has buttercups and they all munch quite happily around them. Even if they do eat buttercups they tend to avoid them pretty quickly anyway as they can make their mouths sore.

[andreaB]

many of the 'weeds' will be of no harm anyway

[wildponies]

well me being no gardener - i can't really idenfity any of the 'weeds' without research. Better to be safe than sorry.

All i'm worried about is that there isn't actually that much grass there. Anyway she's living in tonight so i'll investigate more tomorrow.

Her bed, water and hay are all out ready for her arrival tonight :) Thanks 4 replies, that was me being paranoid in the early hours of the morning :D

[entreat]

My boys eat all sorts of stuff in their paddock (& on trails), including dandelions (which I thought was bad for them - but they seem to use it as added flavour... it has a very bitter flavour), clover, and Casper *loves* a patch of lettuce that's growing on one of our trails!

Our agistment is quite limited in grass, but they never touch the bad stuff (like deadly night shade... I pull it up every time I see it).

[Jessey]

Most horses will aviod whats bad for them, but having looked after a horse who eventually died from liver failiure most likely from ragwort or some other weed poisoning (ingested at least 10 years earlier) I am a bit mad about pulling weeds.

It really would be worth your wile trying to identify what plants are in the field. Topping wont get rid of the weeds just cut the top off making it more difficult to identify them. Once you have the weeds under control (and most weeds are not harmful) topping is benificial and helps condition your grass and lets the grass take over from the weeds.

Don't worry yourself silly but it is worth checking out.

J x

[artemis]

Don't get it topped until you have eliminated any ragwort! :eek:

[wildponies]

It's ragwort free but lots and lots of buttercups and god know's what else in there. :)

I check it out this morning, lots of dock leaves, nettles and buttercups. Checked hedgerows, no deadly nighshade from what i could see just thorny horrible stuff which i doubt she'll want to munch anyway.

[Pickles]

Have you considered putting out some hay in the morning when you turn her out, just to make sure she doesn't run out of 'good' food?

If there's plenty of grass she probably won't touch it, but if the field is mainly weeds she may be grateful of some hay.

There was a thread on here a little while back where someone gave a farily long list of poisonous plants. It might be worth digging out a plant book and having a wonder round with it to make sure there isn't anything lethal like thorn apples.

[wildponies]

I chucked some hay out for her this evening, just what was left over from last night. Thanks, i will search for list.

[Big Ears]

if they are prone to laminitis, topping is the worst thing you can do, as more of the sugar is in the stem, so all you are left with is short sugary stems and it will encourage the growth of them.

my grass is very long and wispy at the top of the field, the 3 donks and horse are making no impression on it at all, but they have other bits right down.

the main plants to look for are deadly nightshade, obviously ragwort, bracken, horsetail.