Worming your Horse with Chemicals

worming_a_horse 

 

This section of the web site contains information to make it easier to choose the chemical with which to worm the horses or ponies in your care.

The advice will help you select the most effective combination of wormers and appropriate treatment intervals to reduce or eliminate the worm burden in your horse or pony.
 

 

 


For many years now the majority of horses and ponies in the UK have been wormed regularly with chemical wormers, and for many there is the need to continue this.  However today knowing when to worm and what with is not as easy as it used to be. 

"Which wormer should I use?"

There are many different products on the market but only four main chemical groups.  None of the chemicals treat all worms but some of the wormers combine mulitple chemical compounds, to treat more worms than a single chemical on its own.  These wormers are therefore more expensive per syringe but much more cost effective if used at the correct time.

"Why do I need to change wormers?"

There are many strains of worms that have developed a resistance to certain chemicals and so it is crucial that if you are using chemicals to worm your horses that you understand how to test for this and also how to slow down the development of drug resistance.

The information and help sheets contained in this section are summarised below:

 Golden rules of worming your horse with chemicals

Start with this information sheet as it shows the factors you should consider when selecting your worming strategy, worming program or wormer. 

 Worming products and their active chemical ingredients

This table shows all of the worming products licensed for use on horses in the UK grouped by the active chemical compound contained in each wormer.

It shows the recommended treatment intervals. 

 The worms that each chemical is effective against

This table provides the answers to any questions you many have regarding the chemicals used in wormers.  If you want to know which wormers have the same ingredient, the period of coverage or the worms that each chemical treats then all the information that is common to a chemical is contained in this table.

Worming strategies

This help sheet outlines the different worming strategies that you may choose.

 Standard Worming Programs

We have created a three year rotational worming plan for you to follow.  If you do not change the main chemical of your worming program annually then the speed of worm resistance will increase dramatically.
Please complete the registration form and we will contact you with details.

 Stopping Worm Resistance

This help sheet outlines how you can help stop the worms in your horse developing resistance to the four chemical ingredients. 

 Worming a horse with chemicals Frequently Asked Questions

The most common questions that you might have are answered in this section.

 Worm Egg Count

A worm egg count is recommended between May and August, when you are due to worm, in order to monitor the effectiveness of your chemical worming program. 

 Types of Worms

We have developed information sheets on most worms that your horse or pony may be carrying.



 Did you know?


Many horse owners underdose due to not knowing their horse's weight accurately.  The effect of this will make the wormer ineffective,  cause a high worm burden despite regular worming and may cause worm resistance to chemicals.  For example one syringe of Equest is not sufficient for the average 15.3hh plus horse. You can order a weigh tape from our shop to make sure that you are giving the correct dosage to your horse or pony.