Why is a worm control plan important?

Why is a worm control plan important and how do I create one for my horse?

What is a worm control plan?

The aim of a worm control plan is to reduce the level of parasites on pasture to reduce the risk of parasite-associated disease. It also helps us to pick how and when to use dewormers, using testing to be sure we target those horses that are mainly responsible for contaminating their pasture. We should no longer be treating all adult horses several times a year; it is much better for the environment and our horses to be selective in how and when we use dewormers.

Reducing the number of dewormers given to horses decreases the spread of resistance and keeps dewormer medicines working for those cases of parasite-associated disease when we really need them to be effective. Choosing how and when to deworm your horse now will affect horse welfare in the future.

Why do I need a worm control plan?

Heavy infestations of redworm and roundworm can have serious consequences for some horses, as they can cause severe weight loss, diarrhoea, colic and even death.

It is important to have a worm control plan in place for your horse(s) to ensure that they receive the appropriate treatment to prevent them becoming unwell, whilst avoiding unnecessary deworming which increases the risk of resistance, by performing a "risk assessment" and diagnostic testing for each horse and treating accordingly.

When we say "risk assessment" we mean assessing the risk of a horse developing parasite-related disease, which guides when and what to test and how to treat. The team at SMART worming have created a schedule which highlights the tests and the risk assessments required to improve our confidence and understanding of parasite control in our horses. This is based on recent published CANTER Guidelines and other recent and validated toolkits for vets and horse owners.

Download your SMART worming schedule