# how often do you worm??



## woodlandswow (17 March 2011)

as title really.. i last did it after all the snow.. i got a wormer in my stocking  
do i need to do it soon for the spring grass... just wondering as i am never sure how often as some people do it more than others.. we have a shetland constantly out and a 15hh out in the day.. poo pick reguarly etc.. not much grass  
thanks


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## Shysmum (17 March 2011)

I follow the Equest/Pramox programme, and it works for us  ( i.e four times a year) 

Many peeps use egg counts now to check which wormer (if any) is needed, via the vet. I just like to cover all bases, as I've seen what not worming can do to a horse


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## Jane_Lou (17 March 2011)

I worm in December for Encysted redworm and September and April for Tapeworm, I then worm count in June and have (so far!) never had to worm in summer. We are on individual turnout and poo pick all year.


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## LadyRascasse (17 March 2011)

i personally worm in the spring and autumn for tapes and encysted small red worms and worm count in the summer, he is on his own paddock which is regularly poo picked and internal fence rotated if that makes sense. he has always come back zero on the worm count but they don't show tapes etc.


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## juliette (17 March 2011)

I worm count and only worm if 
a) he is due to be wormed for tape worm 
b) if count does not come back clear - but luckily all have been clear so far.

There is information around saying that worms are getting resistant to wormers so I only use the chemicals when necessary. Our vets are very helpful and give advice whenever you put a sample in for a worm count.


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## ISHmad (17 March 2011)

We worm in Spring and Autumn (after the first frost so can be early winter) using Equest and Equitape then worm count twice a year.  This system has worked well for the horses and means we are pumping less chemicals into them and hopefully not building up any resistance to the wormers either.  The horses are in a stable herd with only them at our yard, no other horses.


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## peaceandquiet1 (18 March 2011)

My vet has suggested worming in winter with something like Equest pramox then in spring before summer turnout with an ivermectin wormer. Then egg counts in the summer to assess if more worming needed. We don't graze in the winter so the fields are rested and we poo pick in summer and also have sheep out on the pasture. The horses live in sand turnout paddocks in the winter which is very hard work but the fields are then in good shape for the summer.


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## c2b (18 March 2011)

I have just moved from a very high risk yard. Everyone did their own thing (or not in some cases) and no poo picking was done. The fields were never rested. 
I was advised by my vet to stick to a strict worming plan which I did. My mares worm count still came back at 995 epg.
I have now moved. Within 4 months of good field hygiene and worming routine the most recent worm count came back as < 50 no eggs seen in sample.
Assuming a continuing clear worm count then I will be only worming for encysted red worm in the winter and tapeworm spring/autumn.


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## Lynnie1 (18 March 2011)

I worm in autumn and spring for Tapeworm and worm count for the rest of the year but worm then only if recomended by the lab.  I also poo pick daily


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## TicTac (18 March 2011)

I have 2 horses that have had their own paddocks of about 1.5 acres each. I poo pick every day with out fail, once during the winter months as horses are in over night and twice a day in the summer when the horses are out 24/7. My horses have been at the same yard for 3 years now and I have probably wormed them about 6 times in total. Usually done in spring and autumn.

I have employed this routine with several different horses over the years and on the occasion I needed to have one worm counted for a digestive upset the result came back as zero! Therefore I know my system works and don't feel the need to pump my horses full of wormers they dont need.


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## CMMB (18 March 2011)

Poo pick as much as possible; worm egg counts in July and September and worm if necessary - one horse nearly always needs to be wormed, other two hardly ever. Eqvalan duo/Equimax or Equest Pramox in December (i.e. basically once a year worming). The Equest/Pramox 4 x yearly worming is overkill for adult horses unless they are heavily challenged or immunosupressed. As moxidectin (Equest) is the only chemical we have available in the UK that is known to be pretty much 100% effective against encysted small redworm in my opinion it should be reserved for winter worming only - remember every time you worm you "select" resistant parasites - the more you worm the more likely you are to get resistance.


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