• Remove horse droppings from your
pasture regularly – at least twice weekly during the
grazing season, and once a week between November and March.
Twice weekly removal will need to be continued year round
if the autumn and winter remain mild and wet as high levels
of infective larvae can occur at any time of year when rainfall
and mild temperature coincide (Love
S, 2003). Particularly important where pasture is ‘over-stocked’.
• Don’t overstock pasture
- ideally fields should contain no more than one or two horses
per acre, as horses lower down the pecking order will be forced
to graze the rough pasture where worm burdens will be higher.
• Divide paddocks into smaller areas
so they can
be alternatively grazed and rested, reducing pressure on the
pasture, and making it easier
for you to remove droppings! |
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• Alternate pasture with cattle / sheep if possible: parasites are host specific and so ingested equine parasites will be destroyed by cattle / sheep – known as the “biological vacuum cleaning effect”.
• Resting pasture is a good idea but does not guarantee them to be worm-free, as some larvae can live for many years both on pasture and in horses so simply resting a pasture does not guarantee it being worm free.
• Harrowing is only advisable in dry hot conditions where exposed worms are killed by the heat. In damp conditions harrowing simply spreads worm eggs and larvae over the pasture and so increases their chance of being ingested by horses.
• Avoid grazing foals alongside older horses as they can be a major source of pasture contamination, and require more regular worming.
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