I agree with Houndog.  Checking egg counts is the best way.  Considering the housing situation and whether other horses are coming and going makes a big difference too.  Just guessing is a good way to waste $$. 

My vet charges $3 bucks a pop.Can be done yourself.Takes a microscope,slides,cover slides and a solution of water and??? Anyhow use a paper cup a little manure and draw it off the top.Vet is gonna show me as he says the $3 bucks is no real loss to him and he says its simple to do.I've been lazy or it just hasn't gotton to the top of the list at the moment.Maybe this will spur me on  as I have a microscope,slides etc.and gettting somewhat setup to do my own cooled seman,check for worm eggs etc.Friend of my uses a microscope he bought at pawn shop near the college.I got mine off e/bay.A no name made by a name brand company etc.A poop ball in a baggy and drop it with vet.I lable them and he calls me that evening or the next.My vet is not a big fan of adding/using what he calls strong drugs(wormers)if NOT needed.I understand him and agree as well as the cost.I think the daily stuff for the most part is marketing hype.(has its place and need in some situations but not mainstay) Hey they(vets office)check your DOG the same way when  you take them in. As far as pastures in times of DROUGHT egg count goes WAY down as well as needing to worm horses as much even in heavy populated pastures.Also pastures shared with cattle the worm/egg count goes way down.Cattle and horses don't share same parisites(one which is minor) and will graze each others areas but not their own.Lots of throughbred farms have pet cows/steers to turn into paddocks as they are rotated for this very reason.

Microscopes, slides and cover slides OH MY!............easier for me to scoop the poop and drop it off at the vet's.  I have 7 horses.  So do I have to bring in 7 samples?  Hope not..............

All right,  all ready......  geesh.............So what happens if some have worms and some don't ?  Do you treat ALL or just the ones that do?  Wouldn't the others eventually get infested? 

I follow my vet's worming schedule...........now is that overkill????   Hell if I know, but my horses are healthy. (god, knock on wood).  I've never done the fecal test on any of them and I've had this herd for almost 10 years now............

I'm always interested in how people do things in the horse world......

I use the paste and the granules for one horse,picky little fart,i buy the generic Ivermectin,same stuff as expensive name brand.

I give each horse the whole tube,vet says it won't hurt em and works fine.

Daily wormer just treats certain parasites,and cost $$ I just worm every quarter.Dog even licks the plunger so takes care of her too!

I prefer the paste.  I rotate with Zimecterin, ComboCare, and Anthelcide or Panacur and treat every 3 months.

I don't like the daily wormer as much as it only controls 4 species of worms (large/small strongyles, pinworms and assarids).  That is what is states on the labels of Strongid C, Continuex, and Equi Aid CW.  The way I look at is that even if you feed a daily wormer you will still have to paste worm the horse to control all of the other species that the daily doesn't kill. 

Of course I have 4 horses that are in and out of a stall and on and off pasture.  Confinement and separation changes the exposure of any horse to being reinfested after worming.  Also the weather is a factor.

This is the schedule I follow per my equine vet's advice:

February: Zimectrin Gold

April: Quest Plus Gel

August: Zimectrin Gold

October: Safeguard

December: Ivermectin

It's interesting to see how everyone else does things. 

As far as wormers we use paste and rotate it everytime. In one of the packages we got had a rotation calander in it stating which wormer to use during which time of the year. This may be a shock to some but we worm everytime the farrier comes out, which is every 8 weeks. This may sound excessive but never had a problem and right now it's 8 horses that we worm on a regular basis.

Cowby

That's true. But our horses run on 160 acres, come up to eat free feed off of 800# bales of grass hay. Then they will turn around walk away from the bale and reach down, eat some "road apples". At times I think they have lost their minds.

Cowby

horsecrazi:  My equine vet's are Rich, Peter, Javiar and Lisa from Monocacy.  There the best in my book.

I've always vaccinated for WNV.  It's not illegal to vaccinate for that in Maryland. If it was, the suppliers wouldn't sell it to Marylander's.  All my equine friends do their own WNV vaccines, myself included. Dr. Forfa knows that. Now rabies is another story.  I know ALOT of stables in Maryland that vaccinate for Rabies themselves.  They get around that issue very easily.   You can get rabies vaccine in Viriginia if you have a connection.  It's not against the law in Virginia to buy it.  The only thing this stupid law accomplishes is that it stops horse people from vaccinating for rabies.  Rabies vaccine is the cheapest vaccine to purchase too. I do all of my own vaccinating.  If the law were to come to me and say I can't give a rabies shot to my horses then guess what,,,,,,they don't get a rabies shot.  I'm not paying a vet to come out and charge me $200 bucks or more to vaccinate the herd when I know that a vile of rabies vaccine only costs $11.00.  And the real corker is that it's not AGAINST Maryalnd law to NOT vaccinate your horse for rabies, but it's against the law to purchase the vaccine and administer it..............go figure.

loveduffy:  Your post confused me.  I know how to handle vaccines, rabies included.  Been doing it for years..........and we all know that vaccines are not 100% full proof. 

One type of shot I don't do, is one that has to be administered into the vein.  That's a vet's job.  By the way, my vet is the one that showed me how vaccinate my horses.  Kinda like, straight from the horses mouth. (no pun intended)

literally rolling on the floor laughing!  Funniest think I've heard this week and it's been a long week.

*my rottie read your post and wants to try a little chew*

The reason that you cannot buy Rabies vaccine in most states is because if you accidentally nick yourself with the needle or get any of the vaccine spilled on an open cut you will probalby get rabies yourself. 

I asked my vet about this a few years ago because I vaccinate my horses myself also and that is what she told me.......she said the risk is very high.  Now maybe this is true or not but it seems like a good reason for most states to regulate it's use.   I can see why WNV would also be regulated......both of these diseases are shared by horses and humans.