According to the results of the latest National Equine Health Survey, 37% of horse owners never carry out faecal worm egg counts and of those that do, only 25% perform them at the right intervals¹.

The National Equine Health Survey is a snapshot survey conducted by the Blue Cross in conjunction with the British Equine Veterinary Association during the month of May each year, sponsored by Dodson & Horrell and Zoetis. Last year 5,235 people took part and returned records for 15,433 horses.

The 2017 survey found that 39% of those who carry out faecal worm egg counts do so at four-monthly intervals, 22% do so at 8-12 week intervals and 2% do so at six-weekly intervals.

Dr Wendy Talbot, equine vet at Zoetis said: "The NEHS results show that there’s still a lack of understanding about the purpose and benefits of FWECs during the grazing season. For the most effective results FWECs should be conducted every 8 to 12 weeks between March and October. They will indicate which horses are passing the most worm eggs in their droppings and mean that horses are only treated when necessary.² Remember though that FWECs don’t remove the need to treat horses at specific times of year for encysted small redworm, tapeworm and bots, none of which will show up in FWECs.³"

References:

1. National Equine Health Survey 2017
2. Hallowell-Evans and Hallowell (2017) Vet Times, April 24
3. AAEP (2016) Parasite Control Guidelines

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