Page 77 - The Veterinary Care of the Horse

will be influenced by factors which include the following.

• The grazing history of the pasture. Those that are heavily grazed by a number of horses
VetBooks.ir • and never have the droppings removed are likely to harbour a high parasite burden.

Stocking density – the ideal is 1–2 horses per acre.

• Age range of the horses grazing together – young or very old horses are more likely to
have high worm burdens and be a source of pasture contamination.

• Worming history including previous FEC results of all the horses.

• Level of co-operation between individual owners with shared grazing. For an effective
worm control programme, all the horses that graze together should be tested together and

treated individually as appropriate.
• Veterinary advice received after consideration of the above.

For example, the programme for horses in a livery yard without a strict worm-control policy
where there is limited grazing and regular introduction of new horses is likely to be very

different from one designed for a couple of privately owned horses living on a farm with
plenty of fields available.

Worms can be controlled by a combination of:

• good pasture management
• regular testing of the droppings for eggs and larvae with FECs

• blood testing for small redworm

• blood or saliva testing to detect tapeworms

• strategic and targeted use of wormers appropriate for the situation.

The aim of the worm control programme is to:

• Minimize the risk of parasitic disease

• Control worm egg shedding and contamination of the pasture
• Limit development of resistance to the anthelmintics currently in use as there are no new

ones being developed

PASTURE MANAGEMENT
Removal of droppings

Regular removal of droppings is very effective at reducing the number of eggs and infective

larvae on the pasture. Daily removal is the best policy, but twice weekly is still effective.