The plant can be removed from fields by the use of broadleaf herbicides or by pulling them up and burning. It will take a number of years to eliminate the plant completely. Simply mowing the fields is dangerous to horses as it contaminates the pasture with wilted plants. The level of Ragwort exposure required to produce the disease is not known. The effects of the ragwort become cumulative causing liver malfunction over a period of months.
Many horses die within two to four weeks of initial presentation.
The disease can be confirmed by your Vet in two ways. Once actual symptoms have developed, especially any neurological symptoms, the prognosis is poor, however in the early stages careful dietary control and vitamin supplementation can be helpful. Avoid early cut hay Avoid clover or alfalfa hay Feed oat hay ad lib or feed meadow hay ad lib. Supplement vitamins A,D,E, and B12.