Livery and competition yard owners are being asked to take part in a survey to help the veterinary profession tackle resistance to worms and safeguard equine health in the future.

The survey is the second phase of Project WORMS, which stands for Working to Overcome Resistance and Make for a Sustainable future.

The project is a collaboration between VetPartners’ Equine Clinical Board, CVS Group, IVC Evidensia and Equine Reproductive Services, supported by the British Equine Veterinary Association (BEVA). Ethical approval has been obtained from the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS).

Project WORMS was set up due to a real concern that the horse world could be left without effective de-wormers in the future, putting horses at an increased risk of parasite damage-related illnesses such as severe diarrhoea, weight loss and colic, which are currently preventable.

Yard manager’s decision

One of the key findings from the initial phase of Project WORMS was that 42% of the horse owners who took part in the survey kept their horses on a yard which is managed by someone else. For 40% of these horses, it is the yard manager who makes decisions about worming practices. 

The latest survey aims to understand the decisions of the owners and managers of yards with two or more liveries. The findings will be used to help support yard owners to make better decisions on their properties, to try and prevent serious disease, and even death, due to wormer resistance in the future.

“We need to take action because resistance has been demonstrated in all the deworming drugs that are currently available to us and there are no new products being developed to replace them,” said Julia Shrubb, a vet and chair of the equestrian industry’s CANTER initiative. 

‘Encouraging’ results

“The results of the first Project WORMS survey were encouraging because they showed that resistance has become more widely understood and more owners are switched on to testing. 

“However, some liveries may be continuing to over-use dewormers due to rules set out by their yard.

“Livery yard owners have to make difficult decisions when considering a whole yard approach to parasite control and we want to understand their decision making more, so we can better support them.

“It’s really important that yard owners make sure their deworming approach includes risk assessing and testing. If many continue as they are, we are not only risking the health and welfare of horses in the future, but the viability of livery businesses if the land cannot safely be grazed by horses.”

To take part in the survey click here. The survey is anonymous but anyone who leaves their details will be entered into a prize draw with the chance to win £100 of Love2Shop vouchers.

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