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.

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

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.