Faecal Worm Egg Counts (FWEC)

Worming-based on FWEC results are vital to prevent resistance from becoming a real problem in our horse population. Blanket worming all horse regularly is no longer recommended and should be based on FWEC results, and risk factors that make them more predisposed to have a higher worm burden.

Risk factors for high worm burden:

• Horses under 5 years old
• Older horses or horses suffering from concurrent diseases
• Busy yards with little pasture rotation or picking up droppings
• Picking up the droppings less frequently than twice weekly

Your FWECs should be collected and labelled individually and sent in the post. All FWEC will be interpreted by a vet, and worming advice given accordingly.

Samples should be collected, in general:

1. Late March/early April
2. Early June
3. Late August

We are finding that more and more horses do not require routine worming in the autumn anymore. Any horses which are considered low risk, and have multiple low FWEC results will be invited to have a redworm serology test.

Tapeworm testing

Research has shown that only 1/3 of the Scottish horse population need worming for this. The saliva test is straightforward, and can be done on the yard by the owner.

If both the redworm and tapeworm results are negative, then no worming is required. This is much better for the horse, as we are then reducing the risk of resistance developing. 

How to collect an FWEC for your horse:

• Request a FWEC sample bag (below)
• Watch the video on how to take sample correctly
• Label bag 
• Pop into post

Pick a fresh dropping (less than 24 hours old), take several pinches from different faecal balls of the same dropping to get a representative sample.