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Worming horses

 
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Cathryn



Joined: 16 Jul 2005
Posts: 19856
Location: Ceredigion
PostPosted: Thu Jul 03, 14 7:38 am    Post subject: Worming horses Reply with quote
    

Has anyone used the tapeworm testing kit?

I am wondering whether to worm my horses. They don't look as if they need it. They are on at least 30 acre fields that have not been grazed by horses for decades and the horses were pretty much worm free when they got here. (I did regular worm counts over several years.) Why does wormer for horses cost so much more than wormer for other animals?

Nick



Joined: 02 Nov 2004
Posts: 34535
Location: Hereford
PostPosted: Thu Jul 03, 14 8:12 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Because people who have horses are people who (used to) have lots of money.

Sally Too



Joined: 14 Sep 2006
Posts: 2511
Location: N.Ireland
PostPosted: Thu Jul 03, 14 9:17 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

I don't worm our horses often.

Certainly not as often as the literature says. At one point I did it spring and autumn as we changed fields.

Now less often as fewer horses coming and going. Wormed all at the end of this winter as one was a bit lean (young stock) and it's pointless to just do one.

They were previously wormed 18months previously I think. All are now looking A1.

Tape worm segments would be visible in poos if you check a fresh one or two.

Cathryn



Joined: 16 Jul 2005
Posts: 19856
Location: Ceredigion
PostPosted: Thu Jul 03, 14 12:01 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

I don't want to worm them at all. I just cannot get my hoof trimmer to understand that there is something called pre Cushings and that's why my little horse doesn't lose her coat properly.

She is fantastic nevertheless.

But I'm not worming them. They both gleam apart from the blood streaks from horsefly bites on my red one.

gregotyn



Joined: 24 Jun 2010
Posts: 2201
Location: Llanfyllin area
PostPosted: Mon Jul 07, 14 2:20 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

I would carry on with your worm counts, that will tell you when you need to worm. I don't know much about horses, but if they are anything like sheep, if you move them onto fresh ground regularly then the worm count should reduce, especially if the worm infective stage is about 3 weeks, and you move them on at 17 day intevals, then the infective stage larva is left standing without a host, and although some survive at that infective stage not all will. Some larvae are able to over winter. Although not always true, drier conditions may contribute to reducing the worm burden. Ideally you want to take a hay cut to break the cycle, and also mixed grazing and alternate grazing of species will help reduce infection of some worms. By the sound of your set up the worm count should be low as they have so much to graze that the % eaten of infective worm larva must be very low. I am afraid I am not up to speed with individual worms, its 40 odd years ago that I was genned up!

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