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Reasons for Performing Study: Traditionally, equine parasite control has relied heavily on frequent routine anthelmintic treatments applied at regular intervals all year round. However, current recommendations aim to employ a more surveillance-based approach and it remains unknown to what extent these recommendations are being implemented on US horse farms., Objectives: To describe equine parasite control on Kentucky Thoroughbred farms and evaluate respondents' willingness to pay for various attributes of surveillance-based parasite control strategies., Study Design: Questionnaire survey performed among the membership of the Kentucky Thoroughbred Farm Managers' Club., Methods: The survey collected demographic data and information about current parasite control strategies. Further, respondents were asked to choose between hypothetical parasite control strategies described with a combination of different attributes: costs, time and effort needed, hypothetical disease-risk levels and hypothetical risks of anthelmintic resistance. Data were analysed with multivariable logistic analysis., Results: About 26% responded to the survey (n = 112). Most respondents were concerned about anthelmintic resistance and incorporated veterinary advice in defining their deworming programme. However, almost 70% were following a traditional rotational deworming programme with little or no faecal surveillance. Respondents were willing to pay a premium for a product for which there is no known anthelmintic resistance and provided the highest possible decrease in health risks. The number of young horses on the farm, utilisation of veterinarian advice in developing a deworming programme, expressed concern about drug resistance in parasites and having documented drug resistance on the farm all associated significantly with the type of parasite control programme used., Conclusions: Traditional approaches for equine parasite control are still widely used in the Kentucky Thoroughbred industry. The data suggest that respondents were only willing to make these changes if they could be given assurance that the surveillance-based approach would prevent anthelmintic resistance and decrease health risks significantly for the horses., (© 2014 EVJ Ltd.)

A telephone survey was conducted of the methods used to control parasitic worms at 106 thoroughbred training yards. Most of the horses were allowed access to grass and were therefore at risk of infection. The control methods relied primarily on the use of anthelmintics and appeared reasonably successful because only 44 per cent of trainers reported observing clinical signs of nematode infections. They dosed their horses frequently, 40 per cent treating every four to six weeks and 25 per cent treating every seven to eight weeks. New arrivals on yards were usually treated with anthelmintic but the strategies used would be unlikely to prevent the introduction of anthelmintic-resistant nematodes on most yards or to deal with encysted cyathostomes. Trainers were responsible for the design of most control schemes, and only 42 per cent of them based their choice of anthelmintic on veterinary advice.