FECC

FECC has multiple drop off locations for samples throughout Canberra. The easiest and best option is to drop your horses sample off at Horseland Canberra or EQ Saddlery - Canberra whilst you are doing some shopping.
Alternatively, you can contact FECC to arrange sample collection at Belconnen or Tuggeranong town centers. We also accept postal samples, please contact us for more details.
Good parasite management isn't just about what's in the wormer tube.
And remember - this is an important time of year to FEC test, but that doesn't mean every horse needs to be wormed.
Test before you worm.

Let's Talk Fly Control
Welcome to our fourth post looking at everyday management practices that can work alongside your FEC testing and worming programs.
Today's topic is something that comes with the warmer weather… Fly control.
At best, flies and midges are an annoying nuisance for our horses. But depending on the species, they can also contribute to skin irritation, spread infection, interfere with wound healing and, in some cases, play a role in parasite transmission.
So what can we do to make our horses a little less attractive to them?
• Use fly protection - fly repellents, masks, veils, fringes, fly rugs and boots can all help. Choose what's appropriate for your horse and always follow the product directions.
• Provide somewhere to escape - make sure horses have access to shade or shelter where they can get some relief from flies.
• Reduce fly breeding areas - limit standing water around yards and stables and keep these areas as clean as possible.
• Manage flies around stables - fly traps and other appropriate control methods can help reduce fly numbers around yards and stables.
• Keep your horse clean - wash horses after work and regularly clean around the eyes, nose and dock.
• Look after wounds - keep wounds clean, appropriately treated and protected from flies.
Good parasite management isn't just about what's in the wormer tube.
And remember - this is an important time of year to FEC test, but that doesn't mean every horse needs to be wormed.
Test before you worm.

Let's Talk Cross-Grazing
Welcome to our third post looking at everyday management practices that can work alongside your FEC testing and worming programs.
Today's topic is the benefits of co-grazing or cross-grazing your paddocks with another livestock species.
Firstly, we know this isn't possible for everyone. Many horses are kept on agistment properties or stables, where space may be limited, and let's face it another livestock species means more time, work and expense. But if it's an option for you, cross-grazing can be a useful parasite-management tool.

Sheep, cattle, goats, llamas or alpacas can co-graze with horses or be grazed on paddocks after horses have been removed.

Many of the important parasites affecting horses are host-specific. This means that when another livestock species ingests infective horse parasite larvae while grazing, those parasites generally can't complete their lifecycle in that animal. The result? Fewer infective horse parasite larvae/eggs on the pasture for your horse to pick up.

There's another benefit too. Different livestock species graze differently. Sheep and cattle, for example, may eat grasses that horses leave behind, helping manage areas around horse grazing zones and exposing the pasture to environmental conditions that can also reduce parasite survival.
Cross-grazing isn't a replacement for FEC testing or worming programs, it's another tool we can use to help reduce parasite pressure on our paddocks.

Good parasite management isn't just about what's in the wormer tube.
Next up: Let's Talk Fly Control!
And remember - this is an important time of year to FEC test, but that doesn't mean every horse needs to be wormed.
Test before you worm.

What do we do with all that Poo?
Welcome to the second post in our series looking at everyday management practices that can work alongside your FEC testing and worming programs.
Today's topic is muck heap/manure pile management. Remember that 18 kg of manure your horse produces every day? The more than 6 tonnes of manure a year per horse? What do we do with all that poo?

Location, location, location: Keep manure piles at least 3m away from paddocks, yards, stables and areas where horses regularly spend time. High traffic areas such as fence lines and shady trees are also unsuitable places to place manure. Most importantly, horses shouldn't have access to the manure pile.

Ideally, a permanent manure pile should have a suitable base and be positioned to prevent runoff entering paddocks and waterways. A trailer can also be a practical option for temporarily storing manure before moving it to a larger composting area.

Proper composting generates heat, which helps reduce the viability of parasite eggs and larvae while turning all that manure into something useful!
Once properly composted, the manure can be used on gardens or, when appropriate, returned to empty pastures.

Avoid spreading fresh or inadequately composted horse manure over grazing pasture. You could simply be returning parasite eggs and larvae to the environment you're trying to clean up.

Good parasite management isn't just about what's in the wormer tube.
Next up: Cross grazing your paddocks with another livestock species.
Test before you worm.

"Why does my horse need worming when other horses in the paddock don’t?"
With spring FEC results starting to go out, this is a question we hear quite often at FECC.
And the answer comes down, in part, to something called the 80:20 rule.
Around 80% of parasite egg contamination on pasture can come from just 20% of horses, these are our higher shedders.
By identifying and treating these high shedding horses when appropriate, rather than automatically worming the whole herd, we can significantly reduce the number of parasite eggs being added to the pasture while avoiding unnecessary treatment of lower-shedding horses.
This leads to the follow up question - “My horse is a high shedder, should I be worried?” Being a high shedder does NOT mean your horse is unhealthy or that you should be able to look at them and see they have worms. It simply means your horse tends to shed more parasite eggs in their manure than other horses. My own horse is a consistent high shedder and I would defy anyone to identify that just by looking at him. He is just talented at shedding parasite eggs.
And that's exactly why we test. Two horses can share the same paddock, have the same management and still return very different FEC results. For our low shedding adult horses, that may mean they don't require treatment this spring and can potentially wait until our late autumn/early winter treatment period.
Keeping in mind individual circumstances matter. Previous treatments, new horses entering the herd, age, reproductive status, health, pasture conditions and weather can all influence our recommendations. Foals, young horses, pregnant mares and some older or unwell horses may also require a different parasite-management approach.
That's why FECC asks you all those questions when you submit a sample! We aren't just looking at a number, we're looking at your horse and their individual risk.
Test before you worm.

Let's Talk Poo Picking
As we enter spring and our next testing period, we thought we'd look at some everyday management practices that can work alongside your FEC testing and worming programs. And where better to start than Poo Picking.
Did you know the average horse produces 18kg of manure every day, that’s more than 6 tonnes a year! But before you rush out to collect every fresh pile, spare a thought for one of our often-unseen parasite-management heroes the dung beetles. Dung beetles are attracted to fresh manure. They break it down and bury it in the soil — and in the process help remove parasite eggs and larvae from the pasture environment. This means we should leave the fresh manure piles to the dung beetles and only pick up the piles that are 3 to 4 days old.
And one thing we DON'T recommend? Spreading uncomposted horse manure back across your paddocks — including breaking up or kicking apart manure piles. This practice just spreads eggs and larvae over a larger grazing area.
Good parasite management isn't just about what's in the wormer tube.
Next up: What should you do with that mountain of manure once you've collected it?
Test before you worm.

Spring has sprung and are you thinking about worming your horse this weekend?? STOP, put the wormer down and read on ....
Did you know that not all horses need to be wormed in Spring but every horse should have a FEC test??
Only those horses that return a FEC of above 200 EPG (Eggs Per Gram) need to be wormed. A FEC test will help to determine if your horse is shedding above 200 epg. Horses that fall below 200 EPG do not need to be wormed in spring. Pregnant mares, foals and horses under the age of 3 require different parasite management plans.
If you just worm without testing simply because "we always worm in spring" you could be exposing your horse to treatments its doesn’t need and contributing to the wormer drug resistance problem by over worming.
Need a FEC? Send a FECC an email or message and we will send you our forms. Testing costs $15 per sample. Drop off locations for testing is available at Horseland Canberra and EQ Saddlery - Canberra
Keep an eye out for our upcoming posts where we will discuss other management practices that can complement your worming program.
Our take home message is TEST BEFORE YOU WORM THIS SPRING.