In January 2010 the British vetinary association issued new guidelines which called for "the immediate cessation of blanket worming in all grazing animals, including horses. This is because of increasing drug resistance of the worms caused by overuse of wormer chemicals.  Each time a wormer is used it increases the chance of the worms developing resistance against the wormer.  There are no new wormers being made, we need to change to "targeted worming"
80% of the worm burden is usually found in 20% of the horses.  This means the 80% are being wormed unecessarly, ingesting strong chemicals,wasting money and increasing the chance of resistance to wormers.

Targeted Worming.  Targeted worming basically means worming your horse only when he needs it.  We found out if and when he needs worming by doing a worm count.  To do a worm count you collect a small sample of your horses droppings and send it to a lab. http://www.westgatelabs.co.uk/info-zone/worming-programme.htm  They will tell you the amount of worms your horse has and if it is necessary to worm or not.

Picking up droppings from the pasture twice a week will help to keep the worm burden low.  Grazing your field with another grazing species such as sheep or goats periodically will help, as the worms will get eaten by them instead of your horse, but the worms will die as they can only live in horses.

Herbal/Homopathic Worming.
Herbal/homopathic worming works by creating a totally alien environment in the stomach(s), which adult endo-parasites cannot tolerate, this causes them to be rapidly expelled from the host.  Conventional treatments are not able to offer continuous protection against re-infection, the only apparent option being regular treatment against re-established infestation.
Below are some non-chemical worming solutions.

Four Seasons Anti Parasitic
Four Seasons is made from only natural ingredients, known and used for many hundreds of years by herbalists, combining herbal and homeopathic ingredients. As such it operates in two ways: -
Firstly the homeopathic ingredients support the digestive organs allowing the natural expulsion of parasites to occur through the animals own natural defence system.
Secondly the astringent effects of the herbal ingredients act directly on parasites, creating a hostile environment for them. Tests show the effect is long term and gentle, the opportunities to re-establish infestation reduced leading to naturally lower egg and worm counts. Four Seasons will not adversely affect the protective natural gut flora.  This is available from http://www.bitlessbridle.co.uk

Diatomaceous Earth.

DE kills mites, ticks, fleas etc by absorbing the waxy layer which these creatures produce on their outer layers.How it works within the gut of livestock is not yet understood, as not only does it help feed conversion it is also able to effect the destruction of younger and smaller intestinal parasites and thus reduce the worm burden in animals, giving them a chance to develop their own immunity. It may be something to do with the high dependency of nematode parasites on lipids in the gut of the infested host, as DE has an affinity for these lipids and may be removing them from the gut. It has also been reported to help prevent the development of parasite larvae in faecal droppings on the pasture. There has been much anecdotal evidence of its efficacy in many species. This is also sold at www.bitlessbridle.co.uk.

Verm-X for Horses and Ponies is available in powder, pellet and liquid formulations. All forms are equally effective, offering three different application options depending on your parasite control programme. Verm-X powder is fed every 12 weeks as 5-day courses whilst the pellets, also designed for 5-day courses, can be fed from the hand as a treat. Verm-X liquid is fed for three days each month.   

Verm-X Verm-X is a natural & effective solution for repelling internal parasites made up of a blend of the following herbs:Cinnamomum Zeldicum (Cinnamon), Mentha Piperita (Peppermint), Thymus Vulgaris (Common Thyme), Galium Aperine (Cleaver), Capsicum Minimum (Cayenne). Direction for use: Feed one scoop (enclosed in each packet) twice per day in your horses/ponies (dampened) feed for five consecutive days. Repeat every 10/12 weeks throughout the year. Verm-X may be used solely every 10/12 weeks or as part of a rotational worming programme. For example if you worm your horse, say, five times per year you could utilise Verm-X three of those times and a conventional horse wormer the remainder. * Ideal for horse owners who wish to explore the natural way of repelling parasites. * Ideal for horses kept on organic farms. * Widely used on horses in the peak of fitness and competition as the herbs are gentle on the digestive system. * Can be integrated within a conventional worming routine or used solely. * Extremely palatable. * Has no known resistance.

FREE WORM COUNT KIT  To order your free worm count kit and information, click this link http://www.westgatelabs.co.uk/order-now/kit-order.htm