How often does everyone worm their horses?

[*millie*]

Question in title...

Pride gets done about every 13 weeks coz we follow a worming programme i was given but some people seem to do it only twice a year and one person once said, if it doesnt have worms, dont worm it :confused:

[skye06]

The problem with horses is everyone has there own ideas and everyone thinks they are right. At the end of the day a lot depends on your cicumstances. My horses are wormed between 8 and 13 weeks between turnout in march and bringing in in october. If you have a lot of horses coming and going on your ground or there is a high worm count then more often is better and if you have a low worm count then you can leave it longer. If the yard you are on has a worm programme and it is working then I'd say your fine. If you are worried get a vet to do a worm count on your horse, it'll give you a good indication of whether or not the worming programme is working.

[becs]

Ours have to be on a rotating 2 year programme (as per their sanctuary), so...

approx 6 weekly in Year 1 on pyrantel embonate (Strongid-P)

then approx 12 weekly in Year 2 on ivermectin / equiv. (Eqvalan / Equimax etc)

plus special ones at special times eg bots, tapeworm, encysted small redworm.

This is in addition to daily poo-picks and virtually zero mixing / movements.

[BeachRiding]

I worm every 8 weeks, using a different wormer each time.

[mayS]

I do it roughly every 2 months, always rotating products and using the right product for the right time of year.

When a new horse arrives & he's really thin, I also use a 5-day worming product called Panacur PowerPak.

Occasionally I'll have a fecal exam done to monitor progress.

I take it underweight & rescue horses, so I have to work on the assumption they have worms. No way could I get by with rare or no deworming in my situation.

[mogadoga]

If i were you id call someone who KNOWS this stuff. If you go on the saddle shop website below and get the number to call they will hapily help sort a worming programme.
They are trained and have done the exams etc etc and actually have a liscence to be doing this!
X

PS, from alot of reasearch etc i have found the best thing to do is use equimax, equitape and equest. This should be broken up with another wormer once a year. There is less resistance found in these wormers.

[Gill]

Very good shop, The Saddle Shop, I agree. Anyone who sells wormers must be trained and qualified as an SQP. I am also an SQP.

To ask how often everyone worms their horses is rather a strange question. If you follow a full programme then you must worm at the correct interval for the drug you choose. There is a full downloadable list on my website if you need help.

Personally I would always hope to base a worming programme on test results. In that way you can worm the horse that needs it and not worm those who don't. My horses are wormed about twice a year.

[*millie*]

I was just woundering in general about how often people do it. I am fine with doing Pride to the worming programme i have, it seems to work fine :)

[em23]

We have used the westgate worm count pack for a couple of years now and I only work for tapeworm in the autumn. don't have worms otherwise. I bought the herbal wormer verm x to try but haven't needed it. the cost of the worm count is offset by not having to buy wormer and worry about the chemical change every two years etc etc. Far far easier and surely much better on the horse thatn pumping it full of chemicals. Oh, and no struggling with the syringe either.

[Greentchr]

I think it is important to check with a local vet on this issue (I know you are asking just out of curiosity, but for others that may read this out of need-to-know).

In my area, we may have different worm problems than you have in yours. Different climates make a difference, also. So, what I do (or what 10 other people do) may not be practical for your situation. I think it is important to ask an equine-specialist vet, also, so you do not end up with a 'by-th-book' answer.

[BecknSkye]

It depends on how the horses are managed.
If they in poo-picked and rotationally grazed pasture, they need worming less than a horse who is out 24/7 in "dirty" pasture.
I've noticed since I've started to feed garlic, I need to worm less and my horses will actually seek out and break into containers to eat garlic when their faecal tests are showing significant worm numbers:eek: maybe my horses are both just bizarre, but it is a meaningful co-incidence in my eyes but I have no scientific finding to back me up. They'll take happily garlic/olive oil(I added olive oil to make it "run" better out the syringe) mush out a syringe but fight about taking chemical wormers five minutes later!!! Now that was an interesting experiment:D
I do faecal egg counts and worm only if they need it(usually two times per year), and I rotate and poo-pick my paddocks.

[eventerbabe]

I have gill do worm counts on mine every 3 months and we worm appropriately. Suits me best because mine are on a private yard and i'd rather base my worming regime around results than worm them unnecessarily.

[CMR]

I do worm counts four times a year(winter, spring, summer, fall) and deworm accordingly. I also deworm a new horse as soon as they arrive. The last time I did a worm count, all five of my horses were free from worms. You still have to deworm for certain worms if you rely on worm counts though because some worms cannot be detected.

[joey_olop]

I dont follow a worming programme he just gets done when he needs doing and I dont use specific brands just use different one each time.

A friend of mine has the vet give a yearly injection-dont no if this is proven to work or not???