Worm control |

Effective worm control relies on the correct and responsible use of wormers combined with good pasture management.

Use faecal worm egg counts (FWEC) during the grazing season (approximately every 12 weeks) to assess whether your horse needs worming.
Target the following worms at the correct time of year with an appropriate wormer:
Tapeworm and encysted small redworm larvae – late autumn/winter
Your vet will advise on an appropriate wormer. There is a wormer available which includes both praziqantel (which treats tapeworm) and moxidectin (which treats encysted redworm larvae & bots as well as large and small redworms, roundworms & pinworms) so it is possible for tapeworm to be treated at the same time as encysted redworm and bots.
All horses and ponies on the yard which need to be wormed should be all wormed at the same time.
Use the correct dose. The recommended dosage will vary according to the horse’s weight. Estimate weight as accurately as possible using a weigh bridge or a weigh tape.
Don’t rely on the blanket use of the same wormer; This may encourage the development of drug resistance in the worm population.

There are four main classes of anthelmintics (wormers). These are:

A well-managed pasture will help to reduce the worm burden. The following points should be followed where possible:

Remove droppings on a regular basis (preferably daily, but at least twice a week) and don’t use horse manure as fertiliser.
Don’t overstock pastures: a maximum of two horses per hectare or 1-1.5 acres per horse is recommended.
Graze horses of a similar age together – young horses are more susceptible to a higher worm burden.
Sub-divide grazing areas into smaller paddocks and graze on a rotational basis.

Graze paddocks with other livestock too. This will dilute the horse worm burden on your pasture.