Tell me about worming?

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Hexx

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Bit of background - I have always fitted in with the yard worming programme, easier to go with the flow and all that - but I have just had my bill to find that my horse had a double dose last month - I thought it was a single, and now they are down for worming tomorrow. It is starting to feel a little overdone as the seem to be wormed every 6-8 weeks.

The problem is, although the YO keeps the horses in after worming, none of the fields are poo-picked and cleared. I have also just found out that one of the liveries worms her horse "holistically", and that another mare (although mine is a gelding and is in a different field) hasn't been wormed for a year due to the owner not paying bills.

So, I need to find out some more about the up-to-date thinking on worming. Can the YO just go out and buy wormer, or does it now have to be vet prescribed? Will there be an issue with a horse on a different worming routine being in the same field as mine.

YO is not always the most welcoming of constructive comment on the way she manages the yard, so I need someway to approaching her about the worming programme - she tends to take any comment as a personal insult - so any advice would be gratefully received.

Many thanks
 
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Wormers need to be sold by a vet or a SQP (I think that is what they are called someone who has done a training course). However they can be bought over the internet too?
You're best off worm egg counting (then treating if needed appropriately) and worming at first decent frost for encysted and spring for tapeworm. According to the results of the worm count some horses may need doing and some not. Are the fields rested or cross grazed (with sheep/cattle)
Could it be worth the vet talking to her or if your vets produce a worming guide showing her that. Worming every 6-8 weeks seems expensive and unnecessary.
 
That does seem like an awlful lot and theres a huge risk that all the horses could become immune to the chemical wormers if they are wormed that often.

I would look at worm counts for your horse and maybe get some good solid information from either westgate labs or your vet and then broach the idea with your YO. You could maybe get some leaflets or show her some solid research. Im sure westgate could point you in the right direction.

Obviously ideally everyone should be doing the same thing but these days because we don't know that chemical wormers are doing their job properly then even the horses that are wormed regularly may be full of worms. At my last yard the yard owner gave us all wormers and we all had to do it at the same time apart from one girl who did it her own way. It does make life difficult if people don't worm together esp if the horses are all in together. I think it should be written in the contract because if you are responsible and worm but others don't then its just pointless.

I personally don't see anything wrong with worming 'holistically' as long as its working. I use chemical wormers twice a year but then I use verm x and worm counts inbetween. My mare is very sensitive so don't like to over load her gut with tonnes of wormers.
 
The yard should arrange to have all worm egg counts done for all horses and then worm appropriately, which may mean not dosing. 20% of the horses will carry 80% of the worm burden, and these horses can be targeted with chemical wormers. Your current yard system is a recipe for disaster in terms of worm resistance to wormers. This is already a problem for some classes of chemical (benzimidazole particularly) in the UK, and probably worldwide. If things don't change, we are going to end up with no effective chemical wormers. The only plus in your system is that the fields are not poo picked - look up 'refugia' in relation to this.
 
Thanks for your replies. I will have to come up with a tactful way of discussing it with her.

With regard to poo-picking the fields - I am sure some of us would do it, but not enough. I will look up "refugia" - thanks.

I have the vet coming out to do vax soon, so will speak to him about it.
 
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