Mal’s Equine Worm Egg Counts, 691 Brown Mountain Road, Underwood (2026)

26/03/2026

💥 A case from this week — resistance in action

A horse came back with a high egg count (~2000 EPG). It had recently been treated with fenbendazole, but there was no meaningful reduction on follow-up testing (FECRT). ❌ Not what anyone wants to see after treating.

The owner mentioned this active ingredient had been used a few times over the past couple of years and wondered if the horse had become “immune”.

💡 So what’s going on?

It’s not the horse becoming immune — it’s the worms becoming resistant.

Over time, repeated use of the same active ingredient can select for worms that survive treatment until eventually it stops working altogether. Once resistance is present, that active ingredient may no longer be reliable in that horse or on that property.

💡 It’s also important to remember:

This doesn’t mean fenbendazole won’t work in all horses. Resistance varies between properties and individual horses.

💡 So where do things go wrong?

Routine worming often means we are treating without knowing if it is actually needed, which can lead to unnecessary treatments. Each treatment kills the easy-to-kill worms but allows the more resistant ones to survive, and over time those survivors become the dominant population.

Rotating wormers can sound like a good idea, but without testing it can actually make things worse. Each treatment still leaves some worms behind, and now we start selecting for resistance across multiple active ingredients instead of just one.

💡 The takeaway?

It’s not about routine worming or rotating wormers — it is about choosing the right treatment based on results, what you are targeting, and the time of year.

✔ Test before you treat
✔ Check that it worked

✨ Smart. Strategic. Science-based.

11/03/2026

🍂 When Should I Get My Horse’s Autumn FEC Done?

Short answer: March–April is the ideal time for most horses in Tasmania.

By this stage of the grazing season:

• Horses have had plenty of pasture exposure
• Adult strongyles are actively producing eggs
• A Faecal Egg Count (FEC) gives a useful picture of parasite burden on your property

Testing now helps guide parasite decisions for the rest of autumn.

⸻

🧪 Step 1: Start with an FEC

For most adult horses:

• Test every 8–12 weeks, or
• 3–4 times per year for low-risk adult horses

Treatment for adult strongyles is generally recommended only when:

• >200 eggs per gram (EPG)

Testing first allows parasite control to be targeted rather than routine.

No guessing.
No blanket worming.
Just evidence.

⸻

🪱 Step 2: Assess seasonal parasite risks

After running an FEC, the next step is to consider seasonal parasite risks that may influence treatment decisions.

Two important parasites to consider in autumn are:

Encysted small strongyles

These are immature larvae that burrow into the gut wall and lie dormant as part of their lifecycle.

Because they are not producing eggs yet, they do not appear on FEC results.

Encysted strongyle risk may be higher in:

• Horses under 5 years old
• Horses with consistent moderate–high FEC history
• Properties with high stocking density
• Senior, stressed, or immunocompromised horses

⸻

Bots

Bot fly larvae overwinter in the horse’s stomach.

Treatment is usually most strategic once bot fly activity has finished in late autumn.

Considering these seasonal parasites helps guide which wormer ingredient may be most appropriate if treatment is required.

⸻

💊 Step 3: Choose treatment if indicated

Once the FEC result and seasonal parasite risks are considered, the next step is deciding whether treatment is required.

⸻

200 epg + high risk of encysted strongyles &/or bots

• Treatment recommended
• Product choice may consider encysted strongyles

Possible ingredient consideration:

• Moxidectin (late autumn)

Moxidectin also treats bots.

Strategic treatment helps:

✔ reduce pasture contamination
✔ target higher shedders
✔ slow the development of wormer resistance

⸻

🔬 Step 4: Confirm the treatment worked (FECRT)

If treatment is given based on an FEC, the next step is to perform a Faecal Egg Count Reduction Test (FECRT).

A FECRT involves repeating the FEC 10–14 days after treatment to measure how much the egg count has reduced.

This confirms the wormer was actually effective.

FECRTs are important because parasite resistance to wormers is increasing worldwide.

Without checking the result, you’re simply assuming the product worked.

Monitoring treatment efficacy helps ensure wormers remain effective for the future.

⸻

💡 Autumn parasite plan — the simple version

1️⃣ Run an FEC in March–April
2️⃣ Assess seasonal parasite risks (encysted strongyles & bots)
3️⃣ Treat based on FEC results and risk assessment
4️⃣ Perform a FECRT 10–14 days later

That’s targeted parasite control.

✔ Evidence-based
✔ Strategic
✔ Better for long-term wormer effectiveness

Smart. Strategic. Science-Based.

⸻

🧪 Now is a great time to run an autumn FEC.

Samples can be posted or dropped off, and results help guide parasite decisions for the season ahead.

🐎 Mal’s Equine Worm Egg Counts
📍 Local testing for Tasmanian horse owners

📧 malsequine@gmail.com
📞 0438 572 887
🌐 www.malsequine.com.au

06/03/2026

Confession time…

Three years ago my worming schedule was pretty lazy and inconsistent.

I’d worm my horses occasionally when I remembered and assumed that was probably good enough. They were always healthy and doing well, so I never had a reason to question it.

Then I ran a worm egg count on one of my horses.

The result came back 1425 eggs per gram (EPG).

I nearly fell off my stool.

At that moment I realised I might have been underestimating the worm situation slightly.

⸻

🧪 The First Egg Count I Ever Ran On My Own Horse Shocked Me — A Real Story From My Herd

That result was what sent me down the rabbit hole of learning more about faecal egg counts (FECs) and parasite management.

Of course that horse was wormed, and because I prefer knowing things rather than assuming them, I also ran a Faecal Egg Count Reduction Test (FECRT) afterwards to make sure the wormer actually worked.

Thankfully it showed 100% reduction.

Because I can run my own tests, I’ve been able to keep an eye on my horses’ egg counts fairly regularly over the last few years.

Here’s how that particular horse’s counts have looked:

Jun 2023 — 1425 EPG → wormed
Oct 2023 — 225 EPG → wormed
Mar 2024 — 700 EPG → wormed
Sep 2024 — 400 EPG → wormed
Jan 2025 —

20/02/2026

🍂 As we approach the start of autumn in Tasmania, it’s a good time to pause and review your horse’s parasite plan.

Autumn is an important checkpoint — but it doesn’t mean “worm everything just because.”

Here’s the simple, strategic approach 👇

🧪 Step 1: Start with an FEC

• Test every 8–12 weeks (or 3–4 times per year for low-risk adult horses)
• Treat adult strongyles only if >200 epg

If you treat based on FEC → perform a FECRT 10–14 days later.

A FECRT (Faecal Egg Count Reduction Test) confirms the wormer actually worked and helps monitor for resistance. Without it, you’re simply assuming the product was effective.

No guessing.
No routine rotation.
Just evidence.

🪱 Step 2: Encysted strongyles — timing matters

Encysted small strongyles are larvae (young, immature worms) that burrow into the gut wall and lie dormant as part of their lifecycle.

Because they aren’t producing eggs yet, they don’t show up on FECs.

A larvicidal treatment means using a product that specifically targets and kills these immature, encysted stages in the gut wall — not just the adult worms that shed eggs.

In Tasmania, late autumn (May) is the most strategic time to assess whether larvicidal treatment is appropriate — after a full grazing season and as bot activity winds down.

Even if you’re considering larvicidal treatment only, a recent FEC is still important to:

• Check adult strongyle burden
• Avoid unnecessary treatment
• Guide ingredient choice

Larvicidal treatment may be appropriate for:

• Horses under 5
• Consistent high shedders
• High stocking density properties
• Stressed, senior, or immunocompromised horses

If indicated → Moxidectin (late autumn)
If not → don’t use it just because it’s autumn.

🐛 What about bots?

Bot larvae overwinter in the stomach.

If larvicidal treatment (moxidectin) is given in late autumn, bots are covered.

If not, ivermectin or abamectin given at this time will also treat bots.

In most adult horses, low bot burdens are rarely clinically significant — treatment should be based on overall risk, not assumption.

No panic dosing required.

💡 The Big Takeaway

Autumn isn’t about automatic worming.

It’s about combining:

✔️ FEC results
✔️ Individual horse risk
✔️ Parasite lifecycle timing

That’s targeted parasite control.

Smart.
Strategic.
Science-based.

If you’d like help interpreting your horse’s FEC results this autumn or have any questions, I’m always happy to help 🐴

📧 malsequine@gmail.com
📞 0438 572 887
🌐 www.malsequine.com.au
📍 Based in Tasmania

18/02/2026

Our little worm made a special appearance at THARA on the weekend 🪱🐴

It was so lovely seeing it properly out on course and being appreciated — and I’m pretty sure a few brave riders tackled it with style 😉

Huge thank you to THARA for having Mal’s Equine on board. We’re always so happy to support such a great local club 💕

If anyone grabbed photos of the worm on course, I’d absolutely love to see them — feel free to pop them in the comments 📸✨

13/02/2026

🐴 “But I haven’t seen any worms… after treatment.”

This is one of the most common messages I get.

And honestly —
👉 most of the time, you still won’t see worms in your horse’s manure after worming.

That said — sometimes you do see worms after treatment, and that can be completely normal too.

It doesn’t mean the wormer didn’t work.
And it doesn’t mean there were no parasites there.

Here’s why 👇

🪱 Most equine parasites live quietly inside the gut.
🥚 What we measure are the eggs they shed — not the worms themselves.

After treatment, it’s very normal not to see anything obvious in the manure because:

• many adult worms are damaged and broken down in the gut and passed in tiny pieces
• some worms are very small or immature at the time of treatment
• many common worms are rarely visible by eye, even when treatment works
• if the burden was low to begin with, there may simply be nothing noticeable to see — and in most cases, low burdens shouldn’t be routinely wormed anyway
• and even when worms are passed, it often only happens in a short window in the days after treatment — and is easy to miss

So if you’ve wormed your horse and then checked the manure and thought…

“Hmm… I didn’t see anything?”

That is actually the most normal outcome.

This is exactly why I’m such a big believer in targeted worm control.

💚 Seeing worms tells you very little.
💚 Testing tells you what is really going on.

Test first.
Treat only when it’s actually needed.
Protect your horse’s gut, health — and future wormer effectiveness.

At Mal’s Equine I offer:

✔️ Faecal Egg Counts (FEC) – $15
✔️ Resistance testing (FECRT) – $15
✔️ Tapeworm testing – $25
✔️ Pinworm testing – $15

(And yes — I always help you understand what your results actually mean.)

If you want to take the guesswork out of worming,
you’re very welcome to message me or visit:

👉 www.malsequine.com.au

Smarter testing.
Kinder worming.
Better long-term horse welfare. 🐎💛

09/02/2026

🐛 NEW – Pinworm testing now available ($15 per test)

👉 Rubbing tail?
👉 Scuffed or broken dock?
👉 Itchy under the tail?

Pinworms are one of the most commonly missed causes – and they do not show up on a normal faecal egg count.

✅ Simple sticky-tape test (not manure)
✅ Tested locally in Tasmania by Mal’s Equine – Worm Egg Counts
✅ Run by a qualified medical scientist with specialist parasitology training
✅ Clear, practical reports – no routine worming, just targeted advice

💲 $15 per horse

📩 Message me and I’ll send you the quick collection instructions.

I also offer faecal egg counts (FEC), FEC reduction tests, tapeworm testing, and an all-worm combo option to support targeted, evidence-based parasite control for your horses.

Smart. Strategic. Based on science. 🐴

06/02/2026

🪱 Pinworms – a hidden cause of the ugly rubbed tail

If your horse’s tail suddenly looks:
• thin
• broken
• rubbed right out at the dock 😬

There are a few common causes of tail rubbing —
👉 pinworms are one of the most common (and most missed) ones.

Other frequent causes can include:
• flies and general skin irritation
• mites or lice
• sweat and build-up under the dock
• contact or allergic skin reactions

But pinworms deserve a special mention because they:
• don’t show up on a normal faecal egg count
• and are very easy to overlook.

❗ Why pinworms cause so much rubbing

Pinworms lay their eggs around the a**s (the opening under the tail where manure comes out), not inside the gut.

That sticky residue causes:
• intense itchiness
• rubbing on posts, rails and walls
• the classic scuffed, ugly tail-head look

So your horse can:
✔ have a low or clear FEC
✔ still be extremely itchy

👀 A very useful visual clue

One of the biggest giveaways for pinworms is a sticky, creamy or yellow-white discharge around the a**s (the opening under the tail where manure comes out).

It can look like:
• dried, crusty patches on the skin
• a smeary or tacky residue
• flakes stuck to the hairs under the tail

This is the egg-laying material from the pinworms.

👉 If you’re seeing this as a shared post, please head to the original post and check the comments — I’ve added a real photo showing the classic pinworm indicator around the a**s (the opening under the tail where manure comes out).

👉 If you notice this discharge, that is a really good reason to do a pinworm sticky tape test — rather than just guessing.

🌱 Are pinworms seasonal?

Pinworms don’t have a sharp “on / off” season like bot flies.
They can be present at any time of year.

That said, tail rubbing and visible discharge are often noticed more during:
• warmer months
• humid conditions
• and when horses are spending more time standing around yards, rails and shelters

👉 So while pinworms aren’t strictly seasonal,
rubbing and reinfection cycles tend to become more obvious through spring and summer.

🧪 How pinworms are actually checked

Pinworms are best detected with a simple
sticky tape test taken from the skin around the a**s.

Not manure.
Not guessing.
Not “let’s just worm and hope”.

This is a proper test-first situation.

👉 I’ll be sharing details about a simple pinworm sticky tape testing option very soon.

🕒 When is the best time to test?

The sticky tape test works best:
• first thing in the morning, or
• before the area has been washed or groomed.

👉 If you’ve already cleaned the area, wait until the next day to test so any fresh egg material can be picked up properly.

🧼 Hygiene really matters (especially if rubbing is bad)

If pinworms are suspected – or confirmed – good hygiene helps reduce reinfection and spread between horses.

Practical, realistic steps:
• wash the dock and the skin under the tail, including around where the manure comes out (perineal area)
• clean fence rails, posts and walls that horses rub on
• don’t share tail brushes between horses
• wash grooming gear used on itchy horses
• keep bedding and yards as clean as practical

👉 Hygiene alone won’t fix pinworms,
but it can make a big difference to how quickly horses reinfect themselves and each other.

This becomes especially important when you have:
• multiple horses rubbing
• shared yards
• shared grooming equipment

👉 If the skin is badly broken, raw or infected, it’s worth involving your vet as well – pinworms may be part of the picture, but damaged skin sometimes needs extra support.

🐴 One rubbed tail doesn’t mean the whole herd needs worming

Just like with other parasites:

👉 one itchy horse
👉 one test
👉 one decision

Not a blanket dose for everyone.

✅ This still counts as doing something

Choosing to:
• test instead of guessing
• manage hygiene and the environment
• treat only if it’s actually needed

is exactly what responsible parasite control looks like.

🧠 The big picture

Pinworms are a perfect example of why:

• test where testing works
• scrape where scraping works
• treat when results suggest it’s needed

Smarter, not harder 🐴✨

30/01/2026

🪰 If not bots… then what?

If you’re hearing “don’t worm for bot flies yet” and thinking:
“Okay… so what actually does deserve attention right now?”
You’re asking exactly the right question.

Here’s a simple way to think about it 👇

🦠 Strongyles & roundworms

✅ FEC-based decisions

These parasites:
• vary hugely from horse to horse
• are the main drivers of wormer resistance
• do show up in manure samples

👉 This is where faecal egg counts guide whether worming is actually needed.

🧪 Tapeworm

✅ Specific test-based

Tapeworm:
• don’t reliably show up on standard FECs
• tend to be seasonal and regional
• need a tapeworm-specific test to assess risk

👉 This is a test I offer, because guessing here often leads to unnecessary combo wormers.

🪱 Pinworms

✅ Sticky tape testing

Pinworms:
• commonly cause tail rubbing and bum irritation
• lay eggs around the a**s, not in manure
• are often missed on FECs

👉 A simple sticky tape test can help confirm whether pinworms are actually the cause — before reaching for another wormer.
(More on this very soon 👀)

🪰 Bot flies

✅ Scrape now, treat later

Right now:
• remove eggs from the coat
• reduce ingestion risk
• avoid unnecessary chemical treatment

👉 Treatment comes after the first frost, when it actually makes sense.

🐴 One horse ≠ whole herd decisions

Even horses living together can have:
• different parasite burdens
• different immunity
• different needs

Blanket worming feels proactive — but it’s often unnecessary.

✅ This still counts as doing something

Choosing to:
• test instead of guessing
• scrape instead of dosing
• wait until treatment actually makes sense

👉 isn’t neglect — it’s intentional parasite control.

You’re not behind.
You’re not “doing nothing”.
You’re matching the action to the parasite.

🧠 The big picture

Good parasite control isn’t “worm everything”.

It’s:
• test where testing works
• scrape where scraping works
• treat when treatment is justified

That’s how you protect:
• your horse’s gut health
• the effectiveness of wormers
• and your own peace of mind

Smarter, not harder 🐴✨

👉 What to do next

If you’re unsure where your horses sit right now:
• start with a faecal egg count
• consider a tapeworm test if appropriate
• keep scraping bot eggs
• and watch symptoms — not the calendar

Clear information leads to calmer decisions.

28/01/2026

🪰 Bot flies & worming — timing matters

Seeing bot fly eggs on your horse can be confronting — those little yellow dots make people want to act fast. That’s completely understandable.

But here’s the important bit 👇
Bot eggs on the coat don’t tell us what’s happening inside the horse.

🔹 Bot eggs = flies have laid eggs
🔹 They do not indicate worm burden
🔹 Worming at this stage doesn’t remove the eggs

So what’s best practice?

🟢 Right now
• Physically remove the eggs
• This actually prevents infection

✨ Mal’s secret tip:
A simple hair lice comb works surprisingly well for removing bot eggs — cheap, effective, and much kinder than aggressive scraping.

Other options that also work well include:
• Bot knives
• Pumice stones
• Bot blocks / grooming stones
• Careful grooming with a firm curry or blade

(Whatever you use, go gently — the goal is egg removal, not skin irritation.)

🟢 Worming for bots
• Most effective after the first frost (or once bot fly activity has stopped)

❄️ Why the first frost matters:
• Frost kills off the adult bot flies
• No adults = no new eggs being laid
• Any bot larvae present are now inside the horse
• This is when ivermectin is actually effective

Worming before this point doesn’t prevent reinfestation — flies are still active and will simply lay more eggs.

🟢 Other worms
• Strongyles / roundworms → best managed using a faecal egg count
• Tapeworm → ideally treated based on testing, not routine worming

✨ Important reassurance:
Once bot eggs are removed from the horse, they’re no longer a risk. Bot eggs must be licked or ingested by the horse to continue their lifecycle. If they hatch off the horse, they cannot survive or complete their lifecycle and will die off.

Worming just because eggs are visible often leads to unnecessary treatments — which doesn’t benefit the horse and contributes to wormer resistance.

✨ In short:
• Eggs ≠ internal burden
• Scrape now
• Treat bots once flies are gone
• Test where possible

If you’d like to take the guesswork out of worming, faecal egg counts and tapeworm testing can help guide smarter treatment decisions.
Samples can be dropped off locally or posted — Mal’s Equine Worm Egg Counts 🧪🐴

28/01/2026

💉 Why we don’t recommend sharing wormer tubes between horses

This came up as a really good question during a recent presentation, so I wanted to explain the reasoning behind the advice.

It’s easy to think:
👉 “My horses live together and share water troughs anyway. What’s the difference?”

In a closed herd (horses that live together and don’t regularly mix with outside horses), that’s a fair question. From a biosecurity point of view alone, the risk of sharing a wormer tube between those horses is actually quite low.

The difference is direct vs passive transfer:
• A water trough is a passive, diluted exposure
• A wormer nozzle is direct mouth-to-mouth contact, transferring saliva straight from one horse to the next

This becomes more important when:
• Horses are from different properties
• Horses are young, stressed, or immunocompromised
• There is known or suspected illness on a property

👉 That said, the main reason sharing wormer tubes is discouraged is dose accuracy.

Once a tube has been partially used, it becomes much easier to:
• Underdose the next horse
• Lose paste on lips
• Misjudge weight settings

Underdosing is one of the biggest drivers of wormer resistance.

Product labels are written for the broadest range of situations — including mixed groups, agistment, and unknown health status — which is why the general advice is one horse, one tube.

In real-world situations — especially with miniatures or small ponies living together — owners sometimes do use one tube across multiple horses by weight. If you choose to do this, risk can be reduced by:
• Using accurate weights
• Dosing each horse carefully and individually
• Avoiding underdosing
• Wiping the nozzle between horses

Bottom line: correct dosing matters more than whether the tube itself is shared.

As always, different situations call for different approaches — this post is about understanding risk, not telling people what they must do.

19/01/2026

🐴 The 80:20 Rule of Worming

👉 80% of worm eggs come from just 20% of horses.

Yep. Really. 🤯

That means:
Most horses are low shedders
and don’t need frequent worming.

So what’s the smarter approach? 🤷‍♀️

Here’s what actually makes sense 👇
💩 Test first with a faecal egg count
🎯 Identify the higher shedders
💊 Treat only the horses that need it

✨ The result?
When you only worm the horses that actually need treatment 👇
The benefits are:
• Less unnecessary worming
• Healthier gut microbiomes
• Slower development of wormer resistance
• More effective parasite control

At Mal’s Equine, I offer simple, affordable
faecal egg counts to take the guesswork out of worming 💚

Smarter worming starts with faecal egg counts.

(EPG values shown are examples for illustration.)
(EPG = eggs per gram — a measure of worm burden.)

Mal’s Equine Worm Egg Counts

26/03/2026

11/03/2026

06/03/2026

20/02/2026

18/02/2026

13/02/2026

09/02/2026

06/02/2026

30/01/2026

28/01/2026

28/01/2026

19/01/2026

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