What are horse worms?

Horse worms, technically known as endoparasites or helminths, are parasites that live within the body of the horse, feeding and maturing within the host.

How do horses get worms?

The life cycle of a horse worm passes through stages, beginning with the egg, and then becoming a larva. At the end of the larval stage, it moults and reaches the mature adult stage. Once the horse worm reaches adult maturity, it starts to produce its own eggs.

Horse worms spend only a part of their lives within the horse itself. Generally, the first part of a horse worm’s life is spent either in the environment, often grass, or inside a second host, known as the intermediate host. Exceptionally, the threadworm passes to foals via the mare’s milk.

For some parasites, an intermediate host is a requirement as part of its life cycle, before entering its final host. As an example, the tapeworm uses an intermediate host, such as a flea or pasture mite, where it begins its development. When the pasture mite is eaten by the horse, it becomes infected with the tapeworm. The worms which require an intermediate host cannot develop without it. If there is no intermediate host, there is no infection.

Other parasitic worms do not need an intermediate host, and are simply passed on from the environment. This often occurs as a result of mixing horses, as well as bad management, such as not poo-picking and not worming all horses at the same time.

Frequently, worm eggs are expelled from the horse onto the grass, where they develop into larvae. The horse consumes the larvae while grazing, and becomes re-infected. Thus the cycle is repeated.

Types of horse worm

There are a number of worms that affect horses specifically. You can read about them in my free report, which will be sent to the e-mail address you enter in this form.

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“Horse Worms and Wormers”

Where do worms live within the horse?

Here’s a list of places where horse worms live in the horse’s body:-

• Bots – Stomach lining.
• Hairworm – Stomach.
• Ascarids – Gut, but they migrate to the liver, are coughed up through the lungs, are swallowed, and then develop in the small intestine.
• Threadworm – Intestine, and coughed up, similarly to the ascarid.
• Large strongyles (large redworm) – Mesenteric artery and intestine.
• Small strongyles (small redworm) – Intestine wall as cysts, and gut as larvae and adults.
• Pin worm – Intestine, and the eggs around the anus of the horse.
• Lungworm – Lungs.
• Tapeworm – Small intestine and caecum.

Signs of worms

The signs of worms to look for in your horse can depend on the type of horse worm and the worm burden your horse has. I’ll send you my report, which shows many signs to look for.

How to control worms

There are two main factors in the control of worms in horses:

1. Good horse management.

By this I mean keeping a clean stable, cleaning the horse, and “poo-picking” the field  or paddock. This helps to reduce the risk of worm burden.

Why do you need to poo-pick? Poo-picking helps to reduce the number of worm eggs and worms in the grass and in the horse’s environment. You’re aiming to reduce the worm numbers and break the worm cycles. If you don’t poo-pick, the number of worm eggs and larvae will continue to grow in the horse field, and increase the worm burden in your horse.

2. Horse wormers.

You’ll receive a full list of horse-wormers, and how to use them for specific types of horse worm, in the free report. The horse wormer to use also depends on the time of year. (You’ll also get a free 3-year worming programme in a separate report.) Dosages are also important in preventing worm resistance.

All the information you’ll need, in great detail, about the signs to look for, the types of horse worm, as well as how to worm a horse, when to worm a horse, and various horse-wormer products, etc., is in my free report, “Horse Worms and Wormers”, which I’ll send to you. Please fill in the form to get it now.

GET THE FREE REPORT
“Horse Worms and Wormers”

Owning a horse brings a lot of pleasure, but with it comes responsibility. Your horse will thank you in its own special way, when you look after it properly and take care of its health.

Sarah Pharoah