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Academy  / Horse / Gut & Intestines / How to reduce the parasite load 

    How to reduce the need for deworming

    To reduce the parasitic load, several strategies can be applied. Here are some methods:

    Pick the pasture

    Parasites develop at different speeds depending on external conditions like temperature and rainfall. During spring, summer, and autumn, the conditions are favorable for parasite eggs to develop into infective larvae. Within just one week, the parasite egg becomes a larvae, ready to infect the next horse. At an early larval stage, the larvae crawl away from the feces (horse manure) and settle on the pasture. Most larvae are within a 90 cm radius from the horse's manure. Therefore, when the weather conditions are optimal for larval development, it's important to regularly pick the pasture, ideally every day or every other day. This way, you can remove most of the parasite eggs from the pasture and the early-developing larvae.


    Even during the winter months, you should still pick the pasture, especially in southern Sweden, where winters tend to be milder. In winter, it takes longer for larvae to develop, so picking the pasture once or twice a week is sufficient from a parasitic standpoint.


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    Manure collection system 

    There are tools available to make picking the pasture easier. Manure vacuums and collectors come in various types. If you hire assistance for pasture picking, it's recommended to hire these tools during the autumn and spring, either when rotating pastures or during deworming.

      Bete_minska parasitbördan_Trikem

      Rotational grazing                  

      Another effective way to keep parasitic load down in the pasture is to use rotational grazing or to co-graze with ruminants such as cows or sheep. Ruminants have very different digestive systems from horses, and the horse parasites cannot survive in their four stomachs, just as ruminant parasites cannot survive in the horse’s single-chambered stomach. This creates a "win-win" situation for both parties!

      If you have a large pasture where horses graze permanently, co-grazing might be preferred, meaning horses and ruminants graze in the pasture simultaneously. If you have several pastures that you move the horses between, rotational grazing is preferable. This means horses and ruminants take turns grazing in the pastures. After ruminants have grazed the pasture, you can confidently return the horses, as the ground should be relatively free of parasites. Cows and sheep do not mind grazing near horse droppings and often prefer to graze at a different height than the horses, which helps with better pasture utilization.

      Pasture harrowing

      Pasture harrowing is effective for flattening the droppings and making better use of the pasture area. However, if it’s damp and warm, pasture harrowing may unfortunately help spread the parasites more across the pasture. Therefore, pasture harrowing should be done during dry periods or during the colder months.

      Rest the pastures 

      If you have high parasitic pressure or know that a horse has spread a large amount of parasite eggs, the best thing you can do is let the pasture rest. If you leave the pasture free of grazing horses for two winters, the ground can be considered parasite-free again. Another option is to plow the field and reseed it.

        Quarantine new horses 

        New horses should be placed in quarantine in a separate pasture until you have checked their parasitic status. The pasture should be easily accessible and cleaned daily to prevent the spread of possible infection to the other horses on the property. A manure sample should be taken upon arrival at the farm, and deworming should be done according to the veterinarian's recommendations. Ten days after deworming, an FECRT (Fecal Egg Count Reduction Test) should be performed to detect any resistance. If the manure sample is low and shows good effectiveness of the deworming medication, the horse can be introduced to the regular pastures.

         

        Common horse parasites:

        Small strongyle
        Large strongyle
        Roundworm
        Tapeworm (A. perfoliata)
        Pinworm
        Foal worm (is common in young horses)

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