What is ragwort?
Ragwort is a common weed, is resilient and can grow anywhere, including horse pastures. Horses typically avoid ragwort due to its bitter taste, but they may eat it if no other food is available or once wilted, as it loses its bitterness. Ragwort remains toxic even when dried and found in forage like hay.
Signs of ragwort poisoning
• Depression/lethargy
• Jaundice (a yellow tinge in the gums and eyes)
• Photosensitisation
• Diarrhoea
• Abdominal pain
• Weight loss
• Neurological signs including head pressing, loss of coordination, continuous circling and seizures
· Aggressiveness.
How to spot ragwort poisoning in horses
How to spot ragwort poisoning in horses
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- Full veterinary examination
- History of eating ragwort in grazing or hay
- Blood tests to check liver function (although this doesn’t confirm a diagnosis)
- Liver biopsy or, in the sad event of a horse dying, a postmortem can confirm ragwort toxicity or liver failure1.
How to prevent ragwort poisoning in horses
Check and manage pastures by removing plants (roots and all) and disposing of them safely. Never leave any ragwort near to your horses’ grazing.
It’s also important to check forage before feeding. Even when dried, ragwort is toxic for horses and it can easily get mixed in with hay or other forage. Always buy from trusted suppliers.
How to identify ragwort at different growth stages
Ragwort usually lives for two years. In the first year, it grows close to the ground in a rosette shape, and in the second year, it grows tall and blooms.
Seedlings
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Seedlings can appear from autumn to late spring. They're often first noticed when their leaves are about 10-15mm long.
First year growth: rosette stage
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Rosettes can look quite different from plant to plant. Their leaves have jagged edges and may be dark green or tinged with purple. Even at this early stage, the plant has many thick, tough roots. The young leaves are shaped like little spades with a small notch at the tip.
Second year growth: plant stage
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Ragwort flowers from June to late October, with bright yellow, daisy-like blooms in large, flat-topped clusters. Its dark green leaves are tough, deeply divided and sometimes slightly hairy underneath. The stems are sturdy, often red near the base and greener with branches higher up. Mature plants can grow 30-100cm tall and have a wide, deep root system that spreads quickly, with new roots forming from side branches.
Ripening seeds and wilting
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Seeds ripen between July–August and are normally shed from September onwards. One plant can produce thousands of seeds.
How to safely remove ragwort
We strongly recommend that gloves are worn when handling ragwort as the toxins may be harmful to your skin2. Wearing a facemask will also minimise the risks of exposure to pollen.
It isn’t advised to mow or cut ragwort as it stimulates growth and spreads seeds.
In certain conditions, ragwort seeds can lie dormant within the ground for many years. To keep the weed under control, you may need to repeat removal using one or a combination of the following methods each year.
Herbicide treatment:
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- Apply in spring during rosette growth.
- Move animals before application and follow product guidelines.
- Some products require a qualified specialist to carry out the application. Details are available from the National Association of Agricultural Contractors.
- Herbicide is unlikely to be effective on mature plants.
Hand pulling
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- Effective for small areas; make sure the root is completely removed
- Best results are achieved when the soil is damp
- Ragwort-specific tools (such as ragwort forks) are available.
Please note
We don’t advocate blanket removal of all ragwort. The plant plays a significant role in biodiversity, providing a habitat and food for many types of insects, plus pollen for bees. Ragwort has an important place in the British ecosystem in areas away from horse grazing or land used for forage production and should only be removed from high-risk areas.
How to dispose of ragwort safely
Safe and effective disposal of ragwort will help reduce the risk of further spread. It’s vital to make sure horses can’t access wilted or dead plants as these are more palatable and just as toxic.
Method 1: Controlled burning or small-scale incineration
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- Ragwort should be stored under cover to wilt or in paper bags where horses can’t access it. Although empty plastic horse feed bags are likely to be readily available on the yard, they’re not suitable for ragwort to wilt in as it’s likely to turn to mush and plastic bags shouldn’t be burnt.
- Causing nuisance from smoke can be classified as an offence set out by regulations in each nation.
- If dark smoke starts to appear, don’t add any more slow-burning materials.
- Ragwort burning or incineration must be undertaken and supervised by the owner/occupier/manager of the premises.
Considerations before burning:
- Weather conditions, especially dry conditions and wind direction/strength
- Avoid causing a nuisance to any nearby residential areas
- Take precautions to avoid any surrounding combustible vegetation
- Be aware of nearby roads — if an incident occurs as a result of the fire or smoke, this can be classed as an offence.
Domestic settings
Check with your Local Authority for any bylaws prohibiting burning of garden waste.
Non-domestic settings
Incineration may be an option, following relevant regulations. For more detailed advice visit:
Method 2: Rotting (not composting)
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Suitable for disposing of small quantities where ragwort can be safely rotted down on-site.
For detailed advice on how to set up a suitable system visit:
Method 3: Using a waste-management company
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- Suitable for large-scale removal where on-site disposal isn’t possible
- Ragwort can be removed professionally and disposed of legally
- It’s important that the company provides a wheeled or bulk container with a lid — open skips mustn’t be used to collect ragwort to prevent the spread of seeds.
Domestic refuse collections
Domestic refuse collections are for domestic premises only, subject to Local Authority approval. Ragwort shouldn’t be included with green waste collection unless specifically permitted by the Local Authority, as composting facilities may not be equipped to handle ragwort.
For further details on approved contractors/waste management companies, visit:
Who’s responsible?
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The control of ragwort is governed by two acts:
- The Weeds Act (1959)
- The Control of Ragwort Act (2003).
Key Points
- Legal obligation: Common ragwort is a specified weed under the Weeds Act (1959). Landowners/occupiers must control its spread if it poses a high risk (within 50 metres) to land used for grazing horses or forage production.
- Responsibility: In the equestrian sector, the person responsible for ragwort control could be a landowner, yard manager, tenant or livery client. Check your contract for specific responsibilities.
- Communication: Discuss any concerns with your yard manager or landowner.
Ragwort on neighbouring land
For horse owners and landowners, it can be extremely frustrating when we spend hours of time and money keeping our pastures and forage production land clear of ragwort, but are being affected due to the spread of ragwort from neighbouring land.
If you’re concerned about horses grazing in fields with ragwort, contact us on:
02476 840517 or welfare@bhs.org.uk.
In July 2025, it came to our attention that there’s been a policy change and Natural England are no longer dealing with ragwort complaints. We’re disappointed to learn of this and have concerns regarding the impact on horse welfare due to ragwort spreading into fields for forage production and into fields where horses and/or livestock graze.
We’re wholly committed to improve equine welfare through education and support and helping horse owners understand the dangers of ragwort. We’ll be working within our capacity to lobby Government and policy makers to reintroduce the vital investigation of ragwort complaints in high-risk areas. We’d strongly urge those equally as concerned as ourselves to get in touch with their MP to bring this to their attention.
