Dont feed grass cuttings to horses.

because of the horrid summer, hay has been a problem to track down. my usual farmer was trying to get me some and was only going to the farmers who he knew controlled the ragwort in his fields. you get a ragwort fork but we do it by hand, wearing rubber gloves. for those who aren´t sure, ragwort is a plant very poisonous to equines. it can cause liver damage.
flip it is hard work keeping horses healthy. lol. could we get a pic of it up so that people can recognise it.

Hope this may answer your question Rosie about your concern´s for Ragwort accidentally getting into the forage supplies.

Ragwort – The Law
All land-owners have a responsibility to control the spread of ragwort.
2005 saw the most noticeable infestations of ragwort for many years. Both the Weeds Act 1959 and the Ragwort Control Act 2003, supported by DEFRA’s Code of Practice (2004), seek to control the spread of ragwort and the land occupier must have a control policy in place wherever ragwort poses a high or medium risk to grazing animals or to land for forage production.

High Risk
Ragwort is present and flowering/seeding within 50m of land used for grazing by horses/other animals or for forage production. In this case immediate action to control the ragwort must be taken.

Medium Risk
Ragwort is present and flowering/seeding within 50m to 100m of land used for grazing by horses/other animals or for forage production. In this case the occupier must put an action plan and control policy into place for control of the ragwort.

Low Risk
Ragwort is present and flowering/seeding more than 100m from land used for grazing by horses/other animals or for forage production. In this case no immediate action to control the ragwort needs be taken, but the occupier must ensure that ragwort plants are disposed of in an appropriate manner.

The distances given above are guidelines only and when assessing risk, account should be also be taken of particular local circumstances and other relevant factors such as prevailing winds, topography, shelter belts, natural barriers, soil type and vegetation cover of receiving land. Whether or not the density of ragwort is high or low, the risk factor will be determined by the likelihood of it spreading to land used for grazing and/or feed/forage production.

So in affect,all farmers and land owners are responsible for keeping their land clear of this problematic plant and disposing of it correctly,especially when that land is either for grazing purposes and/or for forage (hay/silage/haylage/straw,etc,etc).

Description
That´s a very good reminder Siobahn. I undertsand why it would be tempting to feed a horse that trots over to say hello but I wish people wouldnt do it!! As you say, sometimes the first thought when faced with horses on apparently bare pasture is ´those poor horses have nothing to eat´ BUT they ARE, more than likely, there for a reason.
Most people tend to look at one or two details & not the whole picture... IF a horse was malnourished it would show - whether or not it was on bare pasture - so people shouldnt be too quick to judge but I can understand why they might...

As for the grass cuttings - great tip. Also applies to guinea pigs, rabbits etc as it can set off all sorts of digestive problems.

I was wondering actually about the organic farmers who supply hay - do they remove the ragwort from their pasture first? Presumably by hand? Because, my lot have organic hay & I often pull thick stalks from it which may or may not be ragwort (more likely to be cow parsley I guess) but I´m assuming that ragwort wouldnt be bagged/baled up with the hay??