Protecting the horses in your care means you need a trusted worm egg count service that is experienced at supporting yards of all types and sizes to manage parasites effectively, slowing resistance to wormers and promoting healthier horses.
By partnering with Westgate Labs, you’ll be leading the way in responsible worming, supporting horse health and reducing costs for owners, all while protecting the future of effective wormers.
Anthelmintic (wormer) resistance is one of the most pressing health threats facing horses today. For decades, horse owners have relied on regular worming to control intestinal parasites, but overuse has come at a cost, allowing worms to evolve and become resistant. Most yards will now have some level of resistant parasites, we can no longer give a treatment and simply expect it to work. With no new wormers in development, we need to find a different way to ensure the horses in our care are protected from parasites.
Why does this matter to yards?
Resistance develops on the land on which the horses live, creating populations of worms that can no longer be controlled with our existing licenced treatments. If worms can't be treated, the welfare of every horse on the yard could be at risk, alongside your reputation. Left unchecked, this will become an increasing threat to horse health and to the equine industry as a whole.
What can livery yards do? Research shows that from a herd of horses, 80% of the worms are usually in only 20% of the horses! By putting a testing-based programme in place, yards can reduce unnecessary chemical use, protect their horses and their land, reduce costs for owners, and be seen as leaders in best practice.
TESTING WITH WESTGATE
We offer a fast, friendly, and professional postal worm egg count service that makes testing easy and convenient. Everything you need arrives in our kits. Simply collect the samples, pop them in your nearest post box, and receive clear, expert results by email within 24 hours of arrival.
Yards of 10 + and 30+ horses can benefit from our reduced commercial rates for worm egg counts. We also offer EquiSal tapeworm tests, (commercial rate for 10+), pinworm, lungworm and liver fluke tests as well as a new larval culturing service for large redworm screening.
Routine testing with Westgate Labs is a simple and cost-effective way to monitor parasite burdens and target worming treatments only when necessary.
- First, assess the parasite risk profiles for the horses in your care using the CANTER tool.
- Implement yard-wide testing programmes to monitor and target treatments.
- Use reduction testing to monitor any resistance to help guide wormer choices.
- Additional tests such as the small redworm blood test, pinworm testing and lungworm and liver fluke tests where necessary will further help to refine the programme.
- Focus on field management to break the lifecycle of the worms mechanically rather than relying on chemicals.
Taking action now is a win-win — improving horse health today and protecting the effectiveness of wormers for the future. Join the hundreds of yards already benefitting from our award-winning service. Our friendly, qualified SQP advisors are always on hand to support you with your results and help plan tailored parasite control strategies.
Contact us today for a free consultation to learn more and set up your yard account.