Ken Lyndon-Dykes’ Column
The Experiences and Thoughts of a Saddle Fitter
This month: I was previously uninformed!
In the course of my job I drive thousands and thousands of miles every year and I am only too aware that Ragwort is spreading - and how! Even so, I hadn't appreciated the serious nature of the problem until I attended the recent British Horse Society Ragwort Awareness Conference held in London. Even though I've been involved with horses for more than forty years, facts came to light about which I was previously completely uninformed. Like the majority of owners, I was well aware of the threats Ragwort posed to horses but, certainly during the time I was eventing, it was rarely seen in fields and almost never on roadside verges and alongside railway lines!
The conference was fascinating, stimulating - scary - and I picked up all sorts of amazing facts. Various forms of this invasive species have poetic-sounding names - Senecio jacobaea, Senecio aquaticus, Senecio squalidas, Senecio erucifolius. We know them better as 'Common', 'Marsh', 'Oxford' and 'Hoary' Ragwort respectively. All have two things in common: they are spreading rapidly in virtually all parts of the UK - both on the mainland and many of the islands - and are highly poisonous.
As long ago as 1959 the Injurious Weeds Act was passed with the intention of controlling the spread of Ragwort and it was generally successful. Then set-aside came along and very soon some of the more invasive species began to take a real hold. More recently, economic consideration combined with pleas from environmentalists for increased bio-diversity have resulted in national and local authorities opting to leave road verges uncut during growing periods. Now, during the spring and summer months, we are able to enjoy a mass of wild flowers and grasses growing on previously boringly barren roadside verges. Even some endangered species are successfully colonising the edges of motorways. Along with this multiplicity of flora, we benefit from an increased diversity of fauna. All this amounts to big plus factors.
Unfortunately there is always another side to the coin - and in this case it is a particularly worrying one. For years and years horse owners have been aware that Ragwort is poisonous to horses but human toxicity has remained largely unconsidered. Apparently research now indicates that the pyrollizidine alkaloid group of poisons - into which Ragwort falls - may be responsible for causing vaso-occlusive diseases, even liver cancer, in humans. Obvious questions arise. Does the ingestion of Ragwort by sheep and cattle have knock-on effects in the human food chain? It is being suggested that honey derived from bees in Ragwort-prolific areas could be affected. Is milk similarly 'contaminated'? Meat? Wheat? And how many other foodstuffs that figure in our staple diet could be affected? I am a passionate supporter of British-produced food and buy it whenever possible and so, in one sense, it is good to know that Ragwort is not an exclusively British problem. It is spreading in most parts of the world and so buying foodstuffs from other countries isn't the solution! (I firmly believe that we produce some of the safest food in the world).
Prior to attending the BHS Ragwort Conference I wasn't aware of the tenacity and toughness of Ragwort. For example, I didn't know that even a small fragment of root - as small as 1cm - generates a new plant. Thus culling by pulling is virtually impractical when seen in line with the fact that leaving three or four tiny pieces of root will result in three or four completely new plants! And I hadn't realised that a single plant is capable of producing 150,000 seeds - nor that seed can germinate virtually anywhere the soil is disturbed - and that the resulting seedlings are so tough and tenacious they can thrive in situations in which most other plants wouldn't even survive!
Horse owners are careful to ensure their animals are protected from access to affected grazing and, anyway, the chances of a horse imbibing sufficient Ragwort in a single day to destroy its liver are very unlikely. Unfortunately it seems that Ragwort is increasingly present in grass grown to make hay or haylage and, in these forms, it is particularly dangerous because it is far less bitter and thus more palatable when it is dying down. The liver is an incredible organ that can function until about two thirds of it is destroyed. Early symptoms of liver damage are non-existent or only negligible and so poisoning can go undetected - sometimes until it's too late. As the disease progresses, the animal may suffer weight loss and become lethargic. Other horrific symptoms can include photosensitive dermatitis, staggering, blindness, convulsions and head pressing.
Sheep are sometimes deliberately used to clean up Ragwort infestations in fields, a fact that angers many environmentalists and those who lobby for animal rights. So far only limited research appears to have been carried out into human toxicity - but now increasing numbers of doctors are expressing interest and concern. The Animal Welfare Act 2006 aims to prevent disease and suffering and thus goes a lot further than the 1911 Act where suffering had already to have occurred - or be occurring - for action to take place. Providing the Act is not watered down in its later stages, it could have a beneficial influence on the control of Ragwort. In the meantime, wildlife and countryside lovers, as well as gardeners and keen environmentalists, can join horse owners in playing their part in controlling this obnoxious plant.
I don't very often get on my hobby horse about issues unconnected with saddles - but on this occasion I felt I had to do my bit in helping to spread information.
KEN LYNDON DYKES specialises in fitting competition horses and also in remedial and 'difficult' fittings. He is available to give talks and demonstrations for any type and size of equestrian group. Call Ken at head office - 01622 844440 - on his mobile - 07973 501873.
