HISTORY OF HORSE WORMING
a TIMELINE OF innovation & CHANGE
Horse wormers were first developed in the 1960’s, an adjunct from agriculture where they were revolutionising farming and the animal health sector. Fenbendazole and pyrantel were the first chemicals on the market licenced for equine use. Suddenly there were cheap and effective drugs to combat the scourge of parasite related disease that were presenting in our horses.
Alongside small redworm, ascarid and tapeworm which continue to be some of our most common and pathological disease threats today, the large redworm, Strongylus vulgaris, was particularly prominent before the advent of chemical dosing. The larvae of this parasite can be very destructive in the body, migrating through the gut walls of their host to munch their way through the arteries lying close to the intestinal tract. Burdens of this parasite are therefore synonymous with catastrophic aneurisms, ruptures and major colic episodes due to loss of blood supply to the intestines - earning them a deserved reputation for pathological disease and destruction.
The advent of new drugs to guard against this damage was groundbreaking. On the advice that preventative treatment given every 8 weeks would protect horses from these ravaging worms and their devastating consequences, horse owners were only too happy to comply.
The regular treatments caused a massive decline in the threat of the large redworm which, due to its longer lifecycle of 6-9 months, (rather than 4-5 weeks of the small strongyle) meant it was all but eradicated in the UK. Effective chemicals meant disease from parasites was largely the preserve of neglect or ignorance. Although the older chemicals were seen to wane in effectiveness, the advent of first ivermectin in the early 1980’s and later moxidectin in the late 90’s bolstered our armoury and all was well.
That was until alarming noises from the agricultural sector began to break the comfortable silence in this space. 90’s band The Verve nailed the soundtrack with their hit single, The Drugs Don’t Work and discussions around wormer resistance first began rising to the fore.
It was against this backdrop that the seeds of Westgate Labs began. The Booth family had bought a dilapidated smallholding in Northumberland and moved their family horse home from livery at the local riding school. As the number of horses grew, they were looking to do the right thing to take care of them.
- Small redworm resistance to fenbendazole first reported in 1965
- Pyrantel resistant small redworms begin to be reported in some published studies (M.R. Chapman et al. 1996)
1997
- The Booth family do the first worm egg count on their own horses. The samples are tested through their vet. It takes three weeks to get results back and there’s no clear guidance on what to do with them. It piques David’s entrepreneurial streak.
- David uses his previous science and laboratory experience to learn the Modified MacMaster technique for worm egg counts and they test their own horses.
1998
- Not seeing many worm eggs in their own horse’s samples, David looks to the local horse population to validate results. When daughters Claire (now Shand) and Jennifer go out to compete, David collects samples from other horses which return high test results, validating the methodology and confirming a worm problem in the wider horse population.
- Moxidectin is authorised for use in horses in the UK, still the newest chemical in our armoury of five.
1999
- February 11th, David and Gillian Booth put their first advert into Horse & Hound promoting ‘worm count your horse’. Horse poo and cheques begin to arrive to the tiny dairy they have converted into a laboratory on the west gate of the farm where they live. Westgate Labs is born, pioneering postal worm egg counts for horses!
- Widespread fenbendazole resistant small redworm now recorded in many countries. Ivermectin remain highly effective against small redworm in horses (Lyons et al., 1999)
2000
- David & Gillian gain their SQP qualification to enable them to give worming advice to horse owners. Gillian begins writing editorial for magazines to inform horse owners about this new way of approaching parasite control. To this day the company remains at the forefront of education and best practice advice.
2002
- Westgate do their first trade stand to increase knowledge around worming. Equine Events in Harrogate, Edinburgh and Your Horse Live in Warwickshire. Most customers have never heard of a worm egg count!
2003
- Sustainable Control of Parasites in Sheep (SCOPS) forms as a collaboration between the industry and Defra to address anthelmintic resistance issues in sheep.
- Westgate Labs becomes a Ltd. company.
2005
- Westgate wins the BETA Innovations Award for developing a worm egg count retail test kits as a product merchants could sell, giving SQPs an opportunity to profit from best practice to promote testing.
- The lab expands into to a portacabin on the farm, Gillian and David reclaim the farmhouse kitchen that the office had been running out of and are able to give up other part time roles to work full time at Westgate.
2009
- Small redworm resistance to fenbendazole found in more than 80% of UK and German yards, 25% for pyrantel, 3% for ivermectin, not at all for moxidectin. (Traversa et al 2009)
- Westgate Labs recruit their first team members including Kristy Hodgson who joined as an assistant lab technician and is now Director of Operations.
- Westgate join the BETA roadshow, presenting CPD training for SQPs alongside James Wishart in Newark, Devon, Kent, Lancashire and Stirling.
2010
- The British Veterinary Association issue their first guidance about responsible use of anthelmintics (wormers) in grazing animals.
2012
- Westgate expands again into a purpose-built lab in the converted piggeries on the farm, it seems huge but twelve years on and they are bursting at the seams!
- Ascarid resistance to ivermectin and moxidectin confirmed (Reinemeyer 2012).
2013
- It becomes an offence under Veterinary Medicine Regulations for a prescription product – including wormers - to be advertised to the public. Before this date wormers were regularly promoted in magazines, something that seems unthinkable now!
- Control of Worms Sustainably (COWS) is established to promote targeted parasite control for cows.
- Research finds overuse of anthelmintics in horses has reduced disease but led to widespread resistance. Fenbendazole, pyrantel and ivermectin resistance in cyathostomins, ivermectin resistance common in ascarids. Good grazing management must be integrated with targeted anthelmintic treatments. (Matthews 2014)
- The EquiSal test, the ELISA to detect tapeworm from horse saliva, is launched by Austin Davies Biologics.
2015
- Keeping it in the family, Gillian and David’s daughter, Claire Shand officially joins the business as Marketing Director
- Westgate Labs launches a new website that integrates with the database to enable customers to view their full history of results online and manage their account.
2016
- Westgate designs and launches the first pinworm test kit in response to rising cases of this parasite (thought in part to be a result of less blanket working).
2018
- Equitape (the market’s only licenced single chemical choice for praziquantel) is withdrawn from sale. A specials manufacturer steps up to produce an extemporaneous preparation available from a vet on prescription (POM-V) under the cascade licence. Losing a species targeted over the counter option is a backward step for addressing resistance. Westgate respond by issuing best practice guidance for prescribers.
2019
- Westgate Labs launch their All-Seasons Subscription Service and redesign their retail kits into a unique zero waste design that re-uses the compostable pouch as the envelope, that is composted on the farm muckheap when it arrives back in the lab.
- Austin Davies Biologics launch Small Redworm ELISA blood test that allows detection of encysted larval as well as adult stages of small redworm.
- Westgate Director of Operations, Kristy Hodgson wins National Equine SQP Of the Year Award for an extremely high level of knowledge, enthusiasm, professionalism, and passion for the industry to customers and the wider equine community.
2020
- Westgate’s All Seasons Subscription service wins a BETA Business Award, and the new Faecal Sand Test Kit wins Judges Choice Innovation Award at BETA International, chosen as a product that ticks all the boxes for design, technology, sustainability, and visuals and has a real wow factor.
- COVID hits and the lab adapts to social distancing, taking on work from other labs forced to close to ensure horses are tested.
- Westgate update all their packaging materials in line with the retail pouches, to go compostable, reducing their waste to landfill by 75%.
- Westgate launch a new interactive online training course on targeted parasite control with EquiToolz that is completed by more than 2,500 people.
- Ops Director Kristy Hodgson wins Outstanding Customer Service Award at the National SQP Award.
2021
- The First Equine Anthelmintic Resistance Stakeholder Workshop run by the Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD) takes place with more than 60 delegates across the veterinary, pharmaceutical, diagnostic, welfare and research sectors. Westgate Labs participates representing the diagnostic and SQP sectors.
2022
- Wormer resistance is discussed at the National Equine Forum, Claire Stratford and Alison Pyatt from the VMD, David Rendle from BEVA and Claire Shand from Westgate Labs present.
- BEVA publish data from 2018-19 showing 11 wormers are sold for every worm egg count performed on UK horses.
- Anthelmintic resistance status and emerging trends (Nielsen 2022)
- Small redworm are widely resistant to pyrantel and fenbendazole, isolated reports of ivermectin and moxidectin resistance found in recent years.
- Ascarids are widely resistant to ivermectin and moxidectin.
- Pinworm has been documented resistant to ivermectin and moxidectin.
2023
- CANTER, the outcome of the VMD Equine Anthelmintic Resistance Stakeholder group, (Controlling ANTiparasitic resistance in Equines Responsibly launches). The new pan-industry group, the first of its kind worldwide, is formed to tackle the increasing threat that wormer resistance poses to horse health and the equine industry. Claire Shand sits on the Core Steering Group and leads the Communications Subgroup, Kristy Hodgson is a member of the Diagnostics Subgroup.
- Published research documents small redworm resistance to ivermectin and moxidectin products in UK horses. (K.E. Bull et al 2023)
- Published research finds a lack of efficacy to both praziquantel and pyrantel in treating equine tapeworm (Nielsen 2023).
- Westgate Labs win Online Retailer of the Year at the National SQP Awards recognising animal welfare is at the forefront of our work, Marketing Director Claire Shand wins Equine SQP of the year for her efforts throughout the equine health sector giving back to the industry in CANTER and other roles, confirming her expert knowledge and a true professional in her role.
2024
- Westgate Labs celebrate their 25th Birthday, continuing to lead and innovate in the sector.