Pasture management includes the regular removal of faeces from the pasture that your horses graze on, at least twice a week.
Lowering stocking density (2 or more acres per horse) is helpful.
Alternating horses and ruminants might remove some of the pasture contamination with parasite eggs and larvae.
Parascaris equorum (roundworm) is common in foals and weanlings through to yearlings but does not cause disease in mature horses. The eggs of this parasite are thick-walled and tough and probably survive from one year to the next. For this reason, particularly where poo-picking is not done regularly, foals and yearlings should not be grazed on the same fields from one year to the next.
The aim of any worm control plan is to keep horses healthy and reduce the risk of them becoming ill due to infections with internal parasites. The aim is not to eradicate all parasites from a horse because it is not necessary or possible.
An important way to do this is to reduce pasture contamination with worm eggs, so that horses are not exposed to so many parasites, and this reduces our reliance on dewormers.
In recent years, advice has changed so that we use tests to help decide which horses need deworming and when, and non-chemical methods to reduce the infection pressure from the environment. Regular deworming treatments – sometimes called interval worming – are no longer supported by experts because this speeds up resistance to dewormer medicines, and is a form of over-use of such medicines. It is recommended to use FECRTs to be sure that the dewormers you use are still working.
Equine dewormers are prescription medicines, classified as POM-VPS which means they must be prescribed by a Vet, Pharmacist or Suitably Qualified Person. They can be prescribed and purchased via veterinary practices, agri-trade stores or pharmacies, including online. The online pharmacies below are VMD accredited internet retailers.
