Rogue Redworm;
15 April 2026
the large strongyle comeback we could all be missing
Could your horse be infected with large redworm? What would the signs and symptoms be? How could we test to prevent disease? Large redworms are one of the most dangerous parasites that can infect our horses. Once believed to be almost eradicated in the UK, vets and parasitologists are now warning of a potential comeback. This opens so many questions to us as horse owners so we made a short film to help explain the risks and how to mitigate them. We examine the threat of strongylus vulgaris, why worm egg counts alone are not enough to protect our horses and what we can do to stay ahead!
Given wide ranging concern over a re-emergence of large redworm in the UK, we've developed a series of resources to help prescribers and horse owners to understand the risks. As well as this video we've got a web page available on our website here:
In February 2026 we presented a scientific poster at Horses Inside Out conference, on a risk-based framework for integrating large strongyle larval culturing into targeted based parasite control programmes for horses. Our poster, entitled ‘Large Redworm, the comeback we could all be missing’ presents a literature review we have undertaken and our findings on this subject.
Westgate Labs is the first lab to offer testing for large redworm to UK horses, using a larval culture test. Our research recommends all horses would benefit from an annual test. Order your kit today.