# Weed ID - Foxtail???



## VA Haymaker (Jul 1, 2014)

My daughter takes some horse riding lessons and while out watching her ride around the riding ring, I spotted this grass/weed:

















Is this foxtail?

Funny this would be in a horse riding ring - given it is not a desirable item to bale up in horse hay - or so I'm told.

Another interesting thing I saw when there, once finished, the horses were allowed to graze. Aside from the grasses, they avoided the pictured weed above and most of the grass - specifically went after the clover growing. Mostly heard clover was a no-no for horses. Others have told me it's like candy to them and they certainly were preferring it over everything else.

Any help on the weed ID is much appreciated.

Thanks!
Bill


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## Hayman1 (Jul 6, 2013)

Bill-that is called little foxtail. Comes on after you cut giant foxtail in a timothy field. Just clipped mine with the bushhog last week. Horses will always go for clover over other things when grazing especially after the grass hardens off in late June, early july. The only problem with horses and then it is only a problem if you are showing at an upper level is that they drool, I mean by the buckets when they eat a lot of fresh clover especially this time of year. But it is great cheap protein.

I don't have it in my horse hay because of weed control regimes which always take out the clover. If I had a herbicide resistant clover variety, I would use it in horse hay all day long at about 10-20% by wt.


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## JD3430 (Jan 1, 2012)

Yep we call it little foxtail, too. Doesn't grow as high. Just bush hogged a bunch of it today. Only grows about 18-24" tall in my area. The giant foxtail will grow 3-5' and has a much bigger seed "tail" on the top.


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## panhandle9400 (Jan 17, 2010)

Yep sure looks like it we have it out here too .


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## Tim/South (Dec 12, 2011)

Fox Tail is very prolific and grows anywhere it can find a spot of soil. Look along the road side. What you see is what you have to contend with in pastures and hay fields.

Since Foxtail is a grassy weed there is not much we can do to control it. Same with Vassygrass and Cogongrass. Invasive grass weeds are a relatively new problem and it looks like one we will be dealing with forever.


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## shortrow (Feb 21, 2012)

Yep. That's foxtail. Usually comes in around here in the drier part of the year. Not much problem with it in the hayfields due to frequency of mowing.


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## rjmoses (Apr 4, 2010)

Foxtail is OK until the seeds harden. The small seeds can get under livestocks' gums and cause infection.

Ralph


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