Defusing the timebomb: exploring practical ways to combat wormer resistance

We will be hosting a FREE webinar on 26th May 2022 at 7.30pm with the anthelmintics (wormer) expert and British Equine Veterinary Association (BEVA) president elect, David Rendle. The webinar will be an opportunity for vets, owners, yard managers, students and anyone else interested in equine health to learn more about this complex and important subject.

We are proud to be at the forefront of finding new ways of tackling high worm burdens in horses and ponies. Our team have gained a great deal on insight from managing our yards and providing free, no-shame advice to both our carers and the wider equine community. In this webinar, we will be joining forces with renowned expert David Rendle to provide an in-depth look at the best ways to manage worms and anthelmintic resistance. The webinar will offer a mixture of up-to-date science and practical tips that can be used by everyone from vets and yard managers to individual owners.

Resistance to worming medication is becoming a significant problem for those involved in the care of horses and ponies. As early as the 1980s, vets and equine professionals noticed that worms could become resistant to available medication. When this happens, the treatment stops working and the worm burden starts to increase causing health problems for the affected equine.

There are five main types of worms found in equines: small redworms, large redworms, tapeworms, roundworms and bots. All of these can seriously affect a horse’s health causing potentially fatal gastrointestinal issues such as colic, ulcers and blocked intestines. Without effective anthelmintics the equine population is at serious risk of health problems and even early death.

Sarah Jane Williamson, Chief Executive of the Mare and Foal Sanctuary, explains: “The Mare and Foal Sanctuary is incredibly grateful to David for joining us for this webinar. As one of the experts in the field of anthelmintics we are keen to learn from him. We are very proud of what we have achieved with our approach to anthelmintic resistance so far, but we know there is much more to learn about how we as an equine community can work together to keep our horses and ponies safe.”

David Rendle works as an independent equine medicine and therapeutics consultant. He has lectured and published on a broad range of topics. David was made a Fellow of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons and is President Elect of the British Equine Veterinary Association. He has a particular interest in gastrointestinal medicine and has campaigned for a number of years for action on anthelmintic resistance. David is also deeply involved in the recent work to support equines and their owners in Ukraine.