Pasture Hygiene

The following is a basic guide to keeping your pasture in good condition for your horses.

Clear droppings from paddocks every 2-3 days, this helps reduce the numbers of infective larvae on pasture and increases the available grazing.  

Do not overstock the paddocks, the more horses, the greater the potential worm egg output and pasture infestation.

If possible rest pastures to reduce levels of infection.

Do not harrow the fields that horses are grazing on. Once harrowed leave for at least a month.

Harrow droppings in hot dry weather ONLY this breaks up the droppings and allows the larvae to dry out and die, if it is damp the eggs and larvae will be spread out increasing your horses intake whilst grazing.

Worm all the horses on the same pasture together.

Sharing grazing with sheep or cattle improves the quality of the pasture and, as they share few parasites with horses, they help to destroy larvae.

Pasture Management for Horses

Surrey Horse Pasture Management Project

Worming Programme    Drugs to use to combat worms    Worming Information    Worms that affect horses