Horse care tips

Egg counts don't reliably detect tapeworm. Use a saliva or blood test instead, ideally in spring and autumn.

Encysted small redworm larvae hide in the gut wall over winter and don't show up in egg counts. Ask your vet or SQP about a blood test or a winter dewormer.

In wet, mild weather, redworm larvae can travel up to three metres from a dropping in about five days. Keep up regular poo-picking when it's damp.

'Mud fever' covers several skin conditions. If you're unsure, ask your vet to confirm what it is before you start treating it.

Before winter, put hardstanding around gateways, shelters and water troughs. It reduces poaching, and the bacteria behind mud fever live in wet soil.

Make sure horses living out can reach shelter, natural or man-made. Donkeys need a fully waterproof shelter.

Sweet itch is mostly seen from March to November, when biting midges are active. Don't ignore early signs such as rubbing at the mane or tail.

Keep sweet-itch-prone horses away from standing water, soft mud, woodland and muck heaps — places midges breed. Breezy fields have fewer midges.

Gateways and troughs poach fast. Scraping out a semicircle about three horse-lengths wide and laying crushed stone pays off over winter; woodchip breaks down and can make it worse.

If a field has more than one gate, alternate which one you use so each gateway has a chance to dry out.

Sycamore seeds are poisonous to horses; field maple is safe. Sycamore 'helicopters' hang in a downward V, field maple wings are straight across.

Oak trees overhanging a paddock drop acorns in autumn, which can poison horses. Fence them off or clear them up.

Learn ragwort's stages: small seedlings appear in autumn, flat rosettes from early spring, and tall yellow-flowered plants from May to October.

Atypical myopathy peaks in autumn, when horses eat fallen sycamore seeds and leaves. Clear them from the paddock regularly — even fields without sycamores can have seeds blown in.

Atypical myopathy signs include stiffness, muscle tremors, sweating, weakness and dark red or brown urine. It can worsen within hours — call your vet urgently.

Where sycamore trees are close to the pasture, limit grazing to under six hours a day in the high-risk seasons.

Avoid harrowing paddocks with sycamore material in autumn — it spreads seeds and leaves across the field and has been linked to higher risk.

The sycamore toxin can pass into water. In high-risk seasons, avoid fields where horses drink from a stream or river, and provide another water supply.

Acorn fall increases after strong winds. Check fields with oaks after autumn storms and clear acorns, or fence off the area under the branches.

Signs of acorn poisoning include acorn husks in droppings, dullness, poor appetite, colic and bloody diarrhoea. Call your vet if you're worried.

For a few weeks after an event or time away from the yard, keep a closer eye on your horse's temperature, heart rate and breathing.

On a track system, spread hay along the track in small-holed nets and put it away from the water, so horses keep moving between resources.

Turning grass into a surfaced pen or track with hardcore or concrete may need permission from the landowner or local authority — check first.

Old dairy pastures are often perennial ryegrass, bred for milk production. Overseeding with timothy, cocksfoot or meadow fescues gives horses coarser, higher-fibre grazing.

Signs of Equine Metabolic Syndrome include fat pads on the crest, tailhead or above the eyes, and difficulty losing weight despite diet and exercise. Talk to your vet.

For native breeds and other horses at higher risk, ask your vet about insulin testing. It helps assess the risk of laminitis and EMS before problems start.

There's no safe season for laminitis. It can strike at any time of year, not just in spring, so keep watching weight and feet year round.

Treat suspected laminitis as an emergency and call your vet straight away — it causes severe pain and can permanently damage the hoof.

Early laminitis can be subtle: shifting weight between feet, reluctance to turn, a shortened stride, or picking a careful path on stony ground.

Don't wait for the classic 'rocking back' stance. It's seen in fewer than half of diagnosed laminitis cases.

If you suspect laminitis, don't force the horse to walk. If it can move, bring it to a stable with a deep bed, ideally shavings, keep it off grass and wait for your vet.

Virtually all laminitis is linked to high insulin. Weight gain, sugary diets and hormonal conditions such as EMS and PPID all raise insulin levels.

A long or curly coat that won't shed, unusual sweating, drinking more and topline muscle loss can all point to PPID (Cushing's). Ask your vet about a blood test.

Travelling for a PPID blood test? Your horse may need to rest for at least 30 minutes before the sample is taken, to avoid an inaccurate result.

PPID medication is usually lifelong. Order refills in advance, watch your horse eat every dose, and keep up the regular tests your vet asks for.

Repeated hoof abscesses or infections that keep coming back can be a sign of PPID. Mention the pattern to your vet.

Know what's normal for your horse — how much it eats, drinks, lies down and how many droppings it passes. Subtle colic shows up as small changes to these.

Not all colic involves rolling. Lying down more, eating less or passing fewer droppings than usual can be early signs.

A horse found much muddier than usual, or with fresh scrapes on its head or hips, may have been rolling violently in the night. Check it for colic.

Call your vet at the first signs of colic. Mild-looking signs don't always mean mild disease, and early treatment can make the difference between life and death.

While waiting for the vet with a colicky horse, don't give any medication unless the vet tells you to — it can mask signs the vet needs to see.

Waiting for the vet with a colicky horse? Usually allow water but not feed, keep everyone safe, and use a well-bedded stable cleared of anything the horse could hurt itself on.

Only hand-walk a colicky horse if your vet recommends it, and never to the point of tiring the horse.

Don't keep horses on sandy, overgrazed paddocks with little grass cover — eating sand off the ground risks sand colic.

Keep the number of people caring for your horse small, and make sure each of them knows its habits and routine.

Change turnout or stabling time gradually, over at least 10–14 days. Sudden switches between stabling and turnout raise the risk of colic.

Older horses are particularly prone to choke. They should have a dental check every six months, and may need soaked complete feeds if they can no longer chew hay.

Test before you treat. A faecal worm egg count shows whether your horse actually needs a dewormer — routine 'blanket' worming has driven resistance.

In the UK there's now resistance to all five classes of horse dewormer, and no new ones are coming. Use them only when a test shows they're needed.

After deworming, repeat the egg count 10–14 days later. This reduction test checks the treatment worked and spots resistance early.

Pick up droppings from the field at least twice a week. It removes worm eggs before larvae can spread onto the grass.

Harrowing spreads worm larvae across the whole paddock. Picking up droppings is the better way to keep worm levels down.

Rotate paddocks and rest them for several months when you can. Resting pasture gives worm larvae time to die off.

Cross-grazing with sheep or cattle helps break the worm cycle. They eat horse worm larvae, which can't survive in other species.

Keep a newly arrived horse apart until it's been tested, and treated if needed. A reduction test shows whether it's bringing resistant worms onto your pasture.

Worm control works best when the whole yard follows the same risk-based plan, so agree it together with your vet or SQP.

Weigh your horse before deworming so the dose is right. If you use a weigh tape, add 10% to the reading.

After giving a wormer, tilt your horse's head up so none is spat out. Losing even a little lowers the dose and encourages resistance.

Don't deworm a horse with food in its mouth — it can spit the paste out with the food. Hold the treat until you're sure it's swallowed.

Give dewormers earlier in the day, on a surface you can clean, so you can watch for any upset such as diarrhoea or colic afterwards.

Dewormer residues harm dung beetles and aquatic life. Poo-pick daily after treating, and store that manure for at least four months before spreading.

Graze foals and youngstock on pasture rested from horses for as long as possible — ideally 12 months — and avoid using the same paddocks for them every year.

A horse rubbing its tail excessively may have pinworm. A sticky-tape sample from around the anus can show the eggs — ask your vet.

Lungworm mainly affects donkeys, and horses grazing with donkeys are at increased risk. Ask your vet about testing if they share a field.

In the UK anyone can legally rasp a horse's teeth. Use a vet or an Equine Dental Technician registered with BAEDT, or a category 2 member of WWAED.

World Horse Welfare advises dental checks every six months for horses under 8 or over 18, and every 12 months in between if no problems were found.

Horses hide dental pain well — major problems often show no outward signs. That's why routine checks matter even when your horse seems fine.

Signs of dental pain include dropping chewed food (quidding), pouching food in the cheeks, chewing on one side, bad breath, and a one-sided nasal discharge.

Don't be put off if your vet suggests light sedation for a dental check. A relaxed horse lets them see the whole mouth, so small problems aren't missed.

Just bought a horse? Book a dental check soon. Its dental history may be unknown, and it's best to find any problems early.

Have a young horse's teeth checked before groundwork starts and before it's first bitted. Wolf teeth can make the bit uncomfortable.

Problems with the front teeth (incisors) can stop a horse grazing or pulling hay from a small-holed net properly. Mention any change in eating to your dentist.

Hoof abscesses and puncture wounds carry a tetanus risk. Make sure your horse's tetanus vaccination is up to date — if not, call your vet.

While your horse is sound, film it trotting up and down on a firm, flat surface and on each lunge rein. It gives your vet a baseline to compare against later.

A horse that keeps resting the same leg, shifts its weight repeatedly or leans against walls may be uncomfortable. Mention it to your vet.

Long-term steroid use for itching increases the risk of laminitis. Only use steroids for sweet itch if your vet prescribes them.

Itchy skin isn't always sweet itch — other allergies look very similar. Ask your vet to confirm the cause so you can manage it properly.

Only spread used bedding on pasture once it's well rotted down, so you're not spreading worm eggs back onto the grass.

Don't put the muck heap in the field. The grass around it grows lush and tempting, and grazing next to it greatly increases the worm burden.

Without regular poo-picking, horses create 'latrine' areas they won't graze, which turn into patches of rough grass and weeds.

A common guide is one acre per horse, plus one extra acre — so four horses need about five acres. Land type, breed and shelter all change the right figure.

Very short, over-grazed 'stubble' and weedy patches can be high in sugars — a problem for horses with metabolic conditions. Well-managed grass is safer.

Cross-grazing with sheep helps control weeds and worms. On wet or boggy land, ask your vet about testing horses for liver fluke, which sheep can pass on.

Never let anyone tip hedge or garden clippings into a horse field. Many garden plants, such as yew, laurel and privet, are poisonous to horses.

Ragwort damages the liver, and the effect builds up: small amounts over a long time are as harmful as a large amount at once.

Dead or dried ragwort is still poisonous, and is often eaten more readily. Check hay and haylage, and never leave pulled plants in the field.

Tetanus is often fatal but completely preventable by vaccination. Check your horse's vaccination record today, and keep boosters on the schedule your vet advises.

A typical tetanus course is two injections 28–42 days apart, a booster 12 months later, then usually a booster every two years. Your vet may advise differently.

Early tetanus signs include jumpiness, stiffness, a stiffly held tail and the third eyelid flicking across the eye. Call your vet immediately.

Call your vet for wounds that are deep, contain a foreign object, or are near joints, eyes or genitals. A pressure bandage can help control heavy bleeding while you wait.

A horse that is unsteady, or lying down and unable or unwilling to get up, needs your vet immediately.

Keep a well-stocked first aid kit somewhere everyone on the yard can find it, and restock it after use.

Learn how to take your horse's temperature, pulse and breathing rate, and note its normal values. Ask someone experienced at your yard to show you.

Signs of infection include discharge from the eyes or nose, hot or swollen areas (especially on the lower legs), stiffness, dullness, poor appetite and diarrhoea.

A healthy horse's temperature is usually 37.5–38.5°C, but individuals vary. Take your horse's temperature when it's well so you know its own normal.

When disease is a concern — a new yard, after an event, or an outbreak nearby — take temperatures twice a day at the same times. A fever can be brief and easy to miss.

"Hot before snot": a raised temperature is often the first sign of strangles or flu, appearing before any nasal discharge.

Quarantine new arrivals for at least three weeks, with no direct or indirect contact with resident horses — even if they look perfectly healthy.

Give every horse its own brushes, tack, buckets and feed bowls. Shared equipment is an easy way to spread infection.

Give each field its own water source if you can. Strangles bacteria can survive in water for several weeks.

Where your fields border another yard's horses, well-spaced double fencing stops nose-to-nose contact over the boundary.

After visiting other yards, disinfect your boots, change your outer clothing and wash your hands before handling your own horse.

If you suspect a contagious disease, isolate the horse straight away and call your vet — don't wait for a diagnosis before separating it.

Horses can shed strangles bacteria for around six weeks after signs clear. Only end isolation after your vet's end-of-outbreak testing.

About one in ten horses that recover from strangles become carriers and can spread it for months. Only a vet can confirm a horse is clear.

A strangles vaccine is available in the UK. It doesn't cause false positives on strangles tests. Ask your vet whether it suits your horse.

Don't let a flu booster lapse — even one day late can mean restarting the whole primary vaccination course.

All horses should have a flu vaccination at least once a year. Six-monthly boosters are an option that gives greater protection.

If your horse seems off-colour when the vaccination is due, tell your vet beforehand — vaccinating a horse that's incubating an illness can cause a reaction.

Only around 40% of UK horses are estimated to be vaccinated against flu. Vaccinating yours protects it and helps the wider horse population.

Don't share licks between horses, and clean any new enrichment item before giving it — good hygiene limits the spread of disease.

A high pulse or breathing rate with no obvious reason, such as a fright or exercise, needs a call to your vet.

Strip grazing? Use a back fence as well as a front one so the grazed strip can regrow, and make sure the horses can still reach water and shelter.

Never feed grass clippings to horses. Clippings are a known colic risk — keep mown grass well away from paddocks and ask neighbours not to tip them over the fence.

Grass growth surges in spring, including on paddocks recovering from winter. Restrict grazing for horses that are overweight or prone to laminitis.

Faecal worm egg counts are usually done three to four times a year between spring and autumn. Ask your vet or SQP how often your horse needs one.

In a heatwave, wet every horse down with cold water every few hours — not just the ones that have been ridden.

If sunburnt skin becomes crusty or starts weeping fluid, call your vet straight away.

To cool a hot horse, keep pouring cold water over its whole body — no need to scrape in between. Don't use wet towels or cooler rugs while cooling.

Read fly repellent instructions fully and apply the correct dose. Don't use repellents on broken skin.

DEET repels insects but can make some horses sore. Test it on a small area before applying it all over.

Spring is the time to repair a poached field: harrow to aerate the soil and lift moss and dead grass, then roll to firm the soil around the roots.

Always poo-pick the whole field before harrowing — otherwise you spread worm larvae across the entire paddock.

Topping old, tough grass encourages fresh growth and can stop weeds seeding. If there's ragwort, remove every cut piece — it's more palatable once it dries.

If weeds need spraying, use a licensed contractor and follow the guidance on how long horses must stay off the pasture afterwards.

Test your soil before fertilising. A pH of about 6–6.5 is ideal, and the results show which nutrients actually need topping up.

If you fertilise horse paddocks, choose a lower-nitrogen product than farmers use. You want healthy roots and plants, not a flush of rich grass.

Walk your fences and hedges each spring looking for poisonous plants — yew, laurel, rhododendron, privet and laburnum are common garden and hedgerow culprits.

Hemlock looks like harmless cow parsley. Check the stem: hemlock has a round, hollow stem with purple streaks or spots.

Pull ragwort at the rosette stage, ideally after rain when the ground is soft. Get the whole root — it can regrow from fragments.

Ragwort seed can lie in the soil for years, so expect to pull plants every year. One plant can produce thousands of wind-blown seeds.

Sycamore seedlings in spring also carry the toxin that causes atypical myopathy. Mowing or spraying doesn't remove it — the seedlings need taking off the pasture.

Don't make hay or haylage from fields contaminated with sycamore seeds or seedlings — the toxin survives months of storage.

Equine grass sickness can strike any time of year but is most common from April to June, and in young adult horses aged 2–7.

To reduce grass sickness risk: avoid disturbing the soil, don't graze fields down to bare earth, avoid sudden diet changes and provide extra forage.

The Equine Grass Sickness Fund runs a free weather-based risk alert for UK owners. Signing up gives you a heads-up for your area.

Grass sickness signs include drooling, difficulty swallowing, patchy sweating, muscle tremors, drooping eyelids and colic with no gut sounds. Call your vet at once.

A vaccinated pregnant mare should have a tetanus booster 28–42 days before foaling. It helps protect the foal for its first weeks of life.

Strangles Awareness Week runs every May. It's a good moment to check your yard's isolation plan and testing for new arrivals.