Warm larvae in droppings - how far does it go?

[SpruceRI]

Question 2 of 'something I've always wondered'

If there's worm larvae in droppings - how far does it wriggle to enable it to be eaten by a grazing horse?

And how long does it live for on the grass before it hatches out?

The reason I ask is.... up until recently I haven't religiously picked up field droppings. In the past, when I haven't.... and have had a worm count done, both ponies have had a nil return for the worm larvae they can test for.

This year I have been picking up the poo, and Rosie's return was a Medium count for worm larvae... she's been nil for years - eek!

So is picking up the poo a good thing for the horse or just looks better off the field?

 

[SpruceRI]

Anyone?

 

[Calcyle]

-tries to remember essay she wrote a few years ago regarding worm burden in horses-

I think it's that, generally, horses will try to avoid areas which have been spoiled by excrement, so by leaving the poo in the field they have not grazed in the areas where the larvae are found. There is a time frame for this though, if the droppings are removed within X amount of hours (can't remember how many, sorry!) the area will still be considered graze-able. So I guess by poo-picking the horses will graze those areas, hence exposing themselves to more worm larvae.

I don't think that's all there is to it, though. Could someone else please elaborate/correct me?

Can't answer the other question, I don't remember at all I'm afraid!

 

[Monkers]

The horse passes worm eggs out in the droppings and it is these that are counted in a worm count. The eggs hatch on the pasture when the condidtions are right. I believe worm eggs can survive for some considerable time without hatching, hence you should never spread your muckheap over your fields. I spread a 20 year old muck heap once on a couple of my paddocks and had a slight infestation in a few horses as a result!

I'm not sure how long the larvae survive once hatched, although I have heard that several very hot days will kill larvae, but probably not eggs inside droppings.

If you have been picking droppings and no other horses have grazed your land, have you allowed your horse to graze other land that horses have been on, i.e at a show? They could pick up worms this way.

If not, the eggs could be that of a tapeworm. They have a different life cycle to redworms and only shed eggs sporadically, so it's only by chance you see them in a faecal count. The only definative test for these is a blood test. I have never bothered with this and just blanket worm everything in the early spring with a wormer that does everything such as Equest pramox.
Hope that helps!

 

[SpruceRI]

Thanks Monkers and Calcyle.... that's a lot clearer.

Blimey though, I didn't know worm eggs could survive that long, by any stretch of the mark! I presumed that they hatched 'on landing' !!

I once went to a demo at my vets and with one of the wormer manufacturers, and they said that harrowing fields with the poo still on, was a disaster in this country because we never had hot enough weather to kill the larvae....