Whole-Farm Management Strategies for Equine Internal Parasites

elements and die before the horses return the following spring.
Be strategic about which pastures you place your horse in. Due to their lower immunity foals should be on pastures that are suspected to have a smaller parasite load for example pastures that have had fewer horses on them or have had low shedders on them regularly.
Read Basic Pasture Management for the Equine Owner Grazing Systems for Livestock and Horses and How to Make Rotational Grazing Work on Your Horse Farm for more tips on pasture management. It is important to realize that even with the best management horse pastures will always have some level of parasite contamination. Even if horses were effectively dewormed and put on a clean pasture that hasnt been grazed for years encysted small strongyle larvae will migrate out of the horses gut and begin producing eggs to deposit on the pasture. Our goal is to reduce not eliminate the parasite burden on pastures.
Manure Management
Many equine parasite eggs are shed into the environment through the horses manure. This means that manure management can greatly reduce the presence of eggs in the horses environment.
Remove manure from small areas where horses are typically confined stalls paddocks etc. within a short timeframe to prevent larvae development within 2472 hours is best.
Remove manure from pastures regularly. This can be very timeconsuming so it may only be an option for smaller farms. There are manure vacuums and sweepers for pasture management if you are interested in machinery to help with this.
Only spread manure on pastures if it has been properly composted beforehand. Dont spread manure that has not been composted. Never spread foal manure. Both ascarid and small strongyle eggs two prevalent parasites in horses have been found to be eliminated when manure is composted in windrows. This can occur in as little

as eight days! However you must turn and mix the compost piles appropriately and ensure the pile reaches a minimum internal temperature of 104 F. If you leave the pile alone it can actually do the opposite of what we want and promote parasite development rather than eliminate them.
Facilities Management
Some exposure to parasite eggs and larvae can be reduced through a few management changes to your facility particularly those that improve sanitation.
Feed your horses in troughs buckets andor feeders that are raised off the ground. This can help reduce the chance of fecal contamination and therefore reduce the risk of