Hi im after any advice on the quickest way to get neglected land back to good grazing for horses.

ive just took on a 6 acre field which has been left for over 4 years. There is substantial ragwort in it but little other weeds bar along one top hedge. the ragwort is close to the flowering stage and too much of it to hand pull.

about 3 weeks ago i had it topped to get an idea of what im dealing with and have collected as much of the dead stuff by hand. It needs a roll, harrow and seeding as has very many bare patches, but with this ragowrt in i know iv already missed the time to chemically spray it (plus grass is too long again for spray to work) so what should i do as there is too much to dig before it flowers and the grass will soon need to be topped again?

im struggling to find someone with equipment to help me with this. Ideally i need a topper which collects the grass cutting as cant leave the dead ragwort in field, is there a machine that does this and does anyone know of a contractor close to coventry with one?

any help on this appriciated

 Same here to we have been given 2 acres of land to look after expect last year when we came to mow it looked like a field of OSR. The best way to deal with it is cut it down low and they wait 2 weeks the chemcally spray it. you have just got to keep doing it till you succeed in removing the weed.

with spraying it, is it too late to spray now as the contractor who would have done it said i should have done it in april. which pray would be best to use

 If you cut it back low now then you wait to it gets to the rose bud stage so cutting back makes it grow again ready to be sprayed

3 pints/acre mcpa before flowering snould nail it for this year, then repeat next year to eradicate. or plough the field and reseed