Good parasite control protects your horse from harmful parasite burdens while helping to preserve effective wormers for the future.
By understanding each horse’s individual risk, using testing to gather evidence and managing the environment to reduce parasite challenge, we can use treatments only when they are genuinely needed.
It is an approach that benefits the horse, slows the development of resistance and reduces the chemical load entering our pastures and wider environment.
Westgate Labs recommend approaching parasite control as a 3-step process: risk assess, test, manage.
Risk assess: understand your horse.
There is no single worming programme that suits every horse. Age, health, grazing arrangements, stocking density, previous test results and the horses they mix with all influence parasite risk.
The CANTER framework provides a useful way to consider: - Clinical history - Age profile - Number of horses - Test results - Environment - Risk profile
Understanding these factors helps determine how frequently to test, when treatment might be appropriate and, importantly, what can be changed to reduce risk.
Find out more at: https://canterforhorses.org.uk/
Test: treat on evidence, not assumption.
Regular testing helps identify the horses that need treatment so we can target wormers appropriately. Worm egg counts every 8-12 weeks monitor adult small redworm and ascarid egg shedding. Antibody tests for tapeworm are recommended every 6 months. Where appropriate, the small redworm blood test, larval culturing for large strongyle and other incidental tests such as for pinworm, lungworm and liver fluke are all available to support our decision making.
Where treatment is needed, reduction testing is recommended – worm egg counts and other techniques can be performed after worming to check wormer effectiveness and whether any resistance is developing.
Manage: work with the parasite lifecycle.
Testing is only part of the picture. Parasite eggs passed in dung develop on the pasture before being eaten by grazing horses, so good land management can dramatically reduce reinfection.
Poo picking at least twice weekly, avoiding overstocking, resting or rotating grazing where practical, and considering mixed grazing with other livestock, can all reduce parasite challenge naturally. New horses should also be quarantined, assessed and tested before joining established grazing groups.
Sustainable parasite control is about achieving the right balance; protecting horses from harmful parasite burdens while preserving effective treatments and supporting a healthy pasture ecosystem.
Using fewer wormers matters.
Every unnecessary treatment adds selection pressure for resistance and introduces active chemicals into dung, where residues may affect dung beetles and other organisms that help recycle nutrients and maintain healthy pasture.
Risk assess. Test. Manage
Need help putting an evidence-based parasite control plan into practice?
Westgate Labs are available every step of the way to help you assess your horse’s risk, choose the right tests and build a practical programme for your horse and grazing.
Get in touch with their friendly team for tailored advice and support.
www.westgatelabs.co.uk
