Piecing Together the Equine Parasite Puzzle

Many horse owners, who have been faithfully deworming their horses every six weeks and rotating products, now realize that this is no longer the recommended protocol and need information to develop a better plan.

To respond to this need, a full day short course was offered in Northampton County by the Penn State Equine Stewardship Team.  The course was designed to help farm managers develop an integrated program to reduce parasite levels on farms and reduce the proliferation of resistant parasites.  Some of the top specialists and researchers in the field discussed the life cycles of equine parasites and the importance of identifying horses with high parasite burdens. 

Speakers from Penn State, Rutgers and New Bolton Veterinary Center presented research-based information about the effects of temperature, rainfall, pasture rotation and manure composting on parasite development, survival and movement within pastures, and discussed the effects of heavy parasite loads on equine health. 

Participants were also able to attend a special session designed to teach them how to monitor parasites in their horses and how to prepare a slide and perform egg counts under the microscope.