Why you need a good horse worm management plan

By Ben Gaskell on 25 September 2017

Why old-fashioned blanket worming does more harm than good

HorseDialog’s guest vlogger Ben Gaskell, Director at Bishopton Vets in Yorkshire, explains why a good worm management plan really does matter.

Follow our checklist to help keep your horses healthy:

• Treat for encysted small redworm in late autumn/early winter. Alternatively, an antibody test can be conducted.¹
• Treat for tapeworm once or twice per year or conduct a separate tapeworm test using a blood or saliva sample.^2,3
• Conduct faecal worm egg counts throughout the grazing season and then treat according to the results.⁴
• Poo-pick every day to help keep pasture worm burdens under control Regular rotation and resting of fields and cross grazing with sheep or cattle are also good practice.⁵
• Foals and yearlings are more susceptible to the threat of worms and in general they will need dosing more frequently than their adult counterparts.⁶

1. https://www.austindavis.co.uk/small-redworm-blood-test
2. Proudman CJ (2003) Journal of Equine Veterinary Science 23 (1) 6-9
3. www.austindavis.co.uk/elisa-kits
4. Rendle D (2017) De-worming targeted plans. Vet Times, Equine, Vol.3 Issue 1 p16-18
5. Matthews JB (2017) Helminth control programmes for equine yearlings at pasture. Veterinary Times; 47(8):22-22, 24.
6. Reinmeyer CR and Neilsen MK (2018) Handbook of Equine Parasite Control. 2nd ed. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons.

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