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I Am Ranch Miniature Horses is sharing with you what we do to maintain the health of our horses. This is not intended to direct you on how to care for your horse. The intent of this is only to share what we do, and raise questions for you. We advise you to consult your veterinarian before making any changes in your horse's health care. The information found on our website is not to supersede the advise of your veterinarian. I AM Ranch Miniature Horses cannot be held liable for the care of your horse(s).

Are there "Miniature Worms" too? NO, that is why worms are so dangerous to minis!

My first advice is to talk to your Veterinarian to set up your worming program, and do not take advice solely over the Internet. The one caution that is necessary to share with all owners of Miniatures Horses is that you should NEVER USE QUEST when worming a miniature horse. The ingredient in Quest that is dangerous is Moxidectin. Any wormer containing Moxidectin should not be used on Miniatures.

My second advice is to have fecals done on your horse about 2 weeks after worming to see if your program is effective.

Coughing, rolling and colic, grinding the teeth, snotty nose, blood protein low, even mouth sores are signs of worm infestation. Worm damage in a mini is much more severe than their effect on big horses because the worms are not "miniatures"; they are the same size as those in the gut of a big horse.

Worming foals is extremely necessary, it is a fact that worm larvae can pass through the mares' milk directly to the foal. It is also thought that migrating worms are sometimes the cause of foal scours. This belief motivates many to give an after foal worming (after the mare passes her first poop). Worming your mare with Ivermectrin within 12 hours after foaling also prevents the foal from developing threadworms.  We use Ivermectrin for the mare for this after foaling worming and do it within 12 hours. Thus, Ivermectrin is part of our foaling kit.

Foals usually are going to eat some of mom's poop and are going to ingest a big meal of worms if mom is not dewormed. I deworm my foals starting at one month of age and continue monthly until they are 12 months old then go to the every other month rotation as I do with my mature horses. When you worm the foals themselves, we use use Panacur (Safeguard)(= Fenbendazole) instead. Panacur is one of the mildest wormers out there and is safe for young foals.3

Since my horses are all pastured together, it is critical to deworm frequently due to  our relative small acreage. If your horses are living in large, lush pastures, then frequency of deworming is probably decreased. Fecal testing with your vet are also very reasonable.

We rotate which type of Wormer we use and worm every 6-8 weeks depending on the time of year here in Arizona. We rotate between the 3 major classes of wormers: Ivermectrin, Fenbendazole/Benzimidazole, and Pyrantel Pamoate.  We rotate the wormer after every 2 times that we use one specific type. In Arizona, worms are most prolific during the months that our temperatures are changing. So, during our spring and fall,  I worm more frequently than during the middle of summer or the middle of winter.

Many vets recommend a "Panacur purge" for the herd in the Spring and for any horse that has a case of worm overload from the small encysted strongyles (Cyathostomes). A Panacur Purge at our home is dosing with Panacur (double the dose) for 5 days followed up by Ivermectrin 10 days later.

The amount of wormer is calculated based on the weight of your mini. We would all love to have scales to measure the weight of our mini, but they are hard to come by, so horse folks have come up with formulas to estimate weight. The "weight tapes" for equine are also useless when used with Miniature horses.

They say miniatures are like Potato chips and you cannot own just one. Our numbers are up and that has made me search for a more economical way to worm. Thanks to the Lil Beginnings forum, I learned about using the liquid wormers on the horses....just as we do with our dogs. Now, it is the liquid 10% Safeguard suspension for the horses and Ivomec..the liquid injectable Ivermectin for cattle. I also found liquid Pyrantel I put 6ml per 100 lbs onto about 1/4 cup of beet pulp. I then add a bit of molasses and they lap it up!.  DO NOT Buy the IVOMEC PLUS. If I suspect Tape worms, I use a double dose of (Pyrantal Pamoate) once a year. 

 I Am Ranch Miniature Horses is sharing with you what we do to maintain the health of our horses. This is not intended to direct you on how to care for your horse. The intent of this is only to share what we do, and raise questions for you. We advise you to consult your veterinarian before making any changes in your horse's health care. The information found on our website is not to supersede the advise of your veterinarian. I AM Ranch Miniature Horses cannot be held liable for the care of your horse(s).