02 September 2008 10:56
I have two 15hh horses and two ponies who live out all year round on eight acres. The land is divided into a five-acre field for winter use, from which hay is taken, and a three-acre area for summer grazing.
I am reluctant to keep pouring chemicals into my animals. Please can you give me an unbiased opinion as to the worming programme I should follow, based on my desire to reduce the amount of chemicals being fed to my horses?
Answer
By Your Horse
Vet Stephen Ashdown advises:
Wormers are a necessary evil. Even in your situation, where you have a reasonableamount of land, worms will build up quite quickly if you drop your worming programme to less than once every six weeks. In spring and summer, worming should be done every month, as eggs hatch more quickly and larvae migrate rapidly.
Some people only worm two to four times a year, but this achieves very little and puts horses at risk from worm damage. For you, the most important measures are:
● Pick up droppings. This will help enormously and is an essential part of pasture management. Daily is excellent, while twice weekly is a minimum. Rotational grazing with sheep may help, but will not solve the problems.
● Vary wormers to ensure resistance is not a problem. When you use a new wormer, do an egg count two weeks later to check it works.
● Do not underdose.
● Consider using a herbal detoxifier that helps with liver function. This, given two or three times a year, will help the side effects of chemical wormers.