Benefits From Having Regular FECs:

Monitors the Efficiency of your Worming Programme.

Especially in young stock who are vulnerable to worm damage since they have yet to develop the natural resistance of older horses.

Minimises the Risk of Resistance. 
It is only necessary to treat horses with a worm burden higher than 200 eggs per gram as the use of drugs on horses with low levels of infection will speed up development of drug resistance.

Helps Protect Existing Medicines.
It is highly unlikely any novel compounds will enter the wormer market in the next 5-10 years. 
FECs can identify when a horse needs worming instead of relying on guesswork 
and possibly treating them unnecessarily.

Cost Effective.
By only using the drugs on horses with a proven high infection, it will save the expense of treating horses that do not require such medication at that time.

New Arrivals.
New horses joining a yard are often wormed as a matter of routine. FECs can prove the worming history of a previously unknown individual as our regular laboratory reports can act as a "Worming Passport".

Environmentally Friendly.
The impact of some worming drugs is a cause for concern, as residual activity in the faeces after treatment can kill many insects and invertebrates that live on the pasture.

It is important the sample is fresh and tested within 48 hours, 
to ensure an accurate reading.


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There is a lot of confusion about worm control programmes and the use of different worming drugs. When planning a worming programme it is important to think about which parasites need controlling at specific times of the year.

At present many populations of worms are resistant to the benzimidazole class of medicines and it is strongly advised that these wormers should no longer be used without specific FECs to monitor their effectiveness.

It is widely accepted that reducing reliance upon wormers by minimising their usage can slow down the onset of resistance which in turn, can also save the owner money on medicines. This represents a substantial saving, especially if you own more than one pony or horse and it also has the added benefit of keeping a less than pleasant task down to a minimum!

The effectiveness of the wormers used can be significantly improved if sufficient attention is given to pasture and horse management. If effective pasture and horse management is adhered to it is possible to reduce the number of wormer treatments you give to your horse in the year. This can be done safely by monitoring worm egg counts in droppings(FECs) while worming drug usage is decreased.

It is vital that we preserve the efficacy of our wormers for as long as possible. This can be achieved by using them selectively on the horses that really need them and by maintaining good pasture and horse management.

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Horses must not have been wormed 10 - 14 days prior to a test.
We are able to help with any questions regarding worming, 
the administration of worming products, pasture and horse management.

Equi-Lab offers a quick, personal, 
efficient and low cost service to complement your worm control programme.
Please ring Maggie for further details about our postal service.





Telephone 01326 379026
Mobile: 07973532882
or Write to
Equilab PO Box 240 Falmouth TR11 5WY
 Email: info@equi-lab.co.uk

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