Trivia Challenge: Do You Know De Facts of Deworming?
Challenge yourself! Have fun and test your knowledge of deworming your horse with Horse&Rider’s Trivia Challenge, featured in The Ride newsletter.

Illustration by Navah Rae Adams

1. What do veterinarians now say is the best way to deworm?

A) Once every 6 to 8 weeks with the same proven-effective dewormer.

B) Once every 6 to 8 weeks, rotating the type of dewormers you use.

C) As needed based on the results of periodic fecal egg counts.

2. True or false: The American Association of Equine Practitioners says effective deworming is probably second in importance only to providing your horse with adequate food and water.

T / F

3. A modern, veterinarian-approved deworming plan is all you need to keep your horses safe from parasites.

T / F

4. True or false. A too-thin horse that’s been regularly dewormed every month is almost certainly not thin because of parasites.

T / F

HOW’D YOU DO? (Answers below.)

1. C is correct. Deworming based on fecal egg counts helps you avoid over- or under-treating your horse. It also keeps you from overusing specific dewormers, which in turn staves off development of the parasite resistance we’ve seen in recent years. (Curious? Fecal egg counts explained.)

2. T is correct. Controlling internal parasites can be a matter of life and death. Worms can rob your horse of valuable nutrients, damage his internal organs, even cause colic. (Learn a clever trick for training your horse to accept deworming calmly.)

3. F is correct. For best results with any anti-parasite plan, good horse husbandry is also key. That means you should scoop the poop regularly to keep your barn area clean; avoid overgrazing your pastures; harrow pastures to break up manure piles; and avoid feeding your horses directly on the ground. (Oh, and one more thing: remove bot-fly eggs from your horses’ haircoats.)

4. F is correct. Depending on the method of deworming, such a horse could still have a heavy load of parasites that’s affecting his weight. (Learn more about the challenges of deworming a thin horse.)

Hey! Not already receiving H&R’s fun and informative newsletter? Sign up right now for The Ride.

CATEGORIES
TAGS
Related Articles
blood draw on a horse
EIA: The Disease Behind the Coggins Test
Coggins Required: Understanding EIA, the Disease Behind the Test
Osteoarthritis in the Hind Limb: Diagnosis and Management
How to Detect Osteoarthritis
Osteoarthritis in the Hind Limb
HR_25SPG_Horsekeeping_Parasite-Control_01
Parasites 101
Protect from Parasites
HR_25SPG_Health_wet-weather-skin-issues
Battling Rain-Related Skin Problems
Soggy-Weather Skin Conditions
Newsletter
Receive news and promotions for Horse & Rider and other Equine Network offers.

"*" indicates required fields

Name*
Country*

Additional Offers

Additional Offers
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
Horse and Rider
Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.