# Mares Tail / Horse Tail Poisoning



## Money_Penny (22 February 2009)

Does anyone have an experinece in poisoning by mares tail or horse tail?
How bad is it etc etc?
Any comments welcomed


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## kellyeaton (23 February 2009)

horse tail that deadly night shade isint?


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## Cahill (23 February 2009)

[ QUOTE ]
horse tail that deadly night shade isint? 

[/ QUOTE ]

no,that is different.


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## kellyeaton (23 February 2009)

no i read it wrong sorry. yes both mares tail and horsetail is posioness to a horses even they will keep there appiette some syptoms are lack of cocoradtion weakness try to exercise a poisoned horse he will tremble or have muscle weakness over his back end after eating the plant syptoms usually appear with in 2 to 5 weeks How do you know he has eating itAnd  how much?


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## Money_Penny (23 February 2009)

Hi,
At the moment, I'm confident he hasn't eaten any because I've sectioned it off, but the field is now becoming quite boggy and I'm under pressure to open it up.  Everyone around the yard tells me "oh it's ok he won't eat it" or "mine eats it and he/she's fine".  Was wondering just how much of it they had to have before they are ill, or even whether they naturally avoid like they avoid ragwort (unless they are extremely hungry)...  I am a worrier, but just wondering if anyone had actually experienced it...


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## Box_Of_Frogs (23 February 2009)

MP - you could try e-mailing Prof Knottenbelt at Liverpool University - knotty@liverpool.ac.uk - he helped save Angel's life when she was suffering from ragwort poisoning. He is a world expert on poisoning in horses and he always tries to help ordinary horse owners.


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## kerilli (23 February 2009)

i have some round the perimeter of my fields and haven't found any that's been chewed yet...
fwiw the best way of eradicating it is to mix washing-up liquid with your weedkiller, because the mare's tail/horse tail has no flat leaves, it is really hard to get weedkiller to stick, so the glueyness of washing-up liquid really helps.
milk thistle is the best thing for rebuilding the liver after poisoning afaik.
i had a herbal mix incl milk thistle done by Ellen Collinson for a friend who had given herself ragwort poisoning after pulling it with bare hands for 2 days...
just random thoughts, hope they help a bit.


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## kellyeaton (23 February 2009)

just keep it secotined off it is safer!x


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## Enfys (23 February 2009)

You may find this informative.

http://www.herbs2000.com/herbs/herbs_horsetail.htm


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## Bojangles (16 June 2012)

Enfys thanks for This. I will have another read though It later. Beaus been dragging Me to This whist Ive been walking him out and getting It out of his mouth is hard.  I thoughtt It was poison.


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## Nats (16 June 2012)

We had it in a field we rented a few years ago, didn't realise and my pony developed a taste for it. He became depressed and lethargic and lost weight over a period of about 2 weeks. Found some of the nibbled plant and phoned vet, who advised feeding Red Cell as Horsetail prevents uptake of B vitamins so essentially causes anaemia. My pony was fine after a few days, and the other pony in the field didn't touch it as far as we know. We did have to fence the whole boggy area off as it's nearly impossible to get rid of. The roots go very deep (at least ten feet, so I'm told), and standard weed killers won't kill. Persistent mowing does weaken the plant, and it doesn't grow well in a dense grass sward. Once he'd developed a taste for it, my pony went to extreme lengths to get to it, breaking through the fence even when he had plenty of grass. If I were you I wouldn't risk it.


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