Helminth control practices used by equine keepers in France: a national survey.

Overview

• This study surveyed horse owners in France about their methods of controlling parasitic worms (helminths) in their animals.
• The goal was to understand current practices and identify areas for improvement to combat increasing resistance to worm-killing drugs (anthelmintics).

Background and Purpose

• Equine parasites can cause health problems in horses, and controlling them typically involves using anthelmintic (AH) drugs and management practices.
• Resistance to these AH drugs is becoming a concern, reducing their effectiveness.
• The study aimed to collect nationwide data on how horse keepers in France manage parasite control.

Methodology

• A national survey was sent to 42,528 equine keepers in France.
• 4,344 responses were collected, representing a wide range of horse owners.

Pasture Management Practices

• Various pasture-based preventive practices were reported, with frequency varying by the age of the animals:
• Pasture rotations used by 78.1% to 80.6% of respondents.
• Removal of horse droppings several times a year practiced by 15.9% to 27.2%.
• Mixed or rotational grazing with ruminants (e.g., cattle, sheep) by 14.5% to 18.1%.

Anthelmintic Treatment Practices

• Majority of keepers routinely used AH drugs regardless of whether they perceived a high parasite risk, ranging from 65.3% to 90.4% by animal age group.
• Ivermectin was the most commonly used anthelmintic:
• Used by 73.7% of foal treatments.
• Used by 92.1% of treatments for older animals.
• About 70% of respondents estimated horse weight by visual assessment rather than precise measurement to dose AH.
• Some assigned a fixed AH dose to all animals without adjustment.

Factors Influencing Treatment Frequency

• Treatment frequency increased among:
• Professional keepers versus non-professionals.
• Younger animals (foals) compared to older horses.
• Specific breeds, with galloping horses receiving more frequent treatments than other breeds.

Diagnosis and Selective Treatment

• Only 5.2% of respondents collected fecal samples for coproscopic (egg count) analyses to guide selective deworming, primarily for horses older than 1 year.
• This highlights a limited use of evidence-based parasitology testing in the field.

Use of Alternative or Complementary Products

• About 20.6% used various non-conventional products (raw or processed) as supplements or alternatives to AH drugs.
• These products were mainly purchased online.

Information Sources

• Veterinarians were identified as the primary source of advice and information regarding parasite control and deworming protocols.

Conclusions and Recommendations

• The study reveals variability and some suboptimal practices in equine parasite control across France.
• There is significant potential for improvement to promote sustainable and effective helminth management.
• Results support the development of best practice guidelines to be shared with veterinarians and horse keepers via training programs.
• Improved education could encourage more evidence-based use of diagnostics and better AH drug administration to combat resistance.