EVERY summer horse owners across Ireland have to deal with ragwort. This deadly poisonous plant can be fatal to horses and is very difficult to ever fully remove from paddocks.

In general horses will instinctively avoid eating ragwort, however, if grazing is sparse they will eat the weed. It is most dangerous to young and old animals. The poison contained in the weed does not accumulate in the body, over time it destroys liver cells and eventually can result in liver failure.