. benweed - widespread European weed having yellow daisylike flowers; sometimes an obnoxious weed and toxic to cattle if consumed in quantity
A horse typically will not eat Ragwort when it is fresh as it taste bitter. However when it is dried it has no flavor and horses will consume it, either on pasture or in hay. Ragwort is toxic and causes cirrhosis of the liver. It can take as little as 3% of the horses body weight in ragwort to cause destruction of the liver. Ragwort has many other names, but they all fall under the scientific names of Jacobaea Vulgaris , and syn. Senecio jacobaea. Common names for Ragwort include: Benweed, st. James-wort,ragweed, tansy ragwort, staggerwort, cushag, mare's fart,cankerwort, dog standard , stammerwort, and stinking nanny/willy/ninny. You can prevent ragwort poisoning by hand weeding any area where a horse may have contact with ragwort, ensure you pull up the complete root system or it will regrow.