Biosecurity & Parasite Records
Keep vaccinations, tests, quarantines, visitors, transport, and incidents in one dated log, see what's coming due, and target deworming by each horse's fecal egg count.
01What to record
| Type | Examples | Result / value |
|---|---|---|
| Vaccination | Tetanus, EEE/WEE, West Nile, rabies, and risk-based vaccines your vet recommends | Product or lot, if you track it |
| Test | Coggins (EIA), fecal egg count, titers, bloodwork | EPG, titer, negative/positive |
| Quarantine | A new arrival or a horse returning from a show | Start and release dates |
| Visitor | Farrier, vet, buyers, clinic participants, outside trailers | Who and why |
| Transport | Shows, clinics, breeding, sales | Where and when |
| Incident | Fever, colic, injury, a sick neighbor's horse | What happened, what was done |
The core vaccines recommended for all horses by the American Association of Equine Practitioners are tetanus, Eastern and Western equine encephalomyelitis, West Nile virus, and rabies. Your veterinarian sets the schedule and any risk-based additions.
02Adding a record
- Choose the type.
- Pick a horse, or leave it blank for a farm-wide record such as a visitor.
- Enter the date and a short detail.
- Enter the result or value: for a fecal egg count, the eggs per gram (EPG).
- Add a next due date for anything that repeats: a booster, an annual Coggins, the next fecal.
- Press Add record.
Records appear under All records. Click one to edit it.
03Coming due
The Coming due card lists every record with a next-due date in the next 60 days. Check it weekly, and before any show, sale, or trip that needs a current Coggins or health certificate.
Confirm current New York State and destination-state requirements for Coggins testing and health certificates before travel.
04Parasite management and shedder status
Most adult horses carry few parasites; a minority shed most of the eggs on a pasture. Fecal egg counts find which horses those are, so you deworm the high shedders and stop treating the rest on a calendar, which slows dewormer resistance.
Enter each fecal egg count as EPG in Result. The Parasite management card classifies each horse:
| Shedder status | Strongyle EPG (AAEP guidance) | Typical approach (with your vet) |
|---|---|---|
| Low | Under 200 | Baseline deworming once or twice a year |
| Moderate | 200–500 | Additional targeted treatments in the grazing season |
| High | Over 500 | Treat more often; check the dewormer still works |
- Run counts at least 8 to 12 weeks after the last deworming (longer after moxidectin) so the result reflects the horse, not the dewormer.
- Shedder status is fairly consistent in adults, so a couple of counts a year usually classifies a horse.
- Foals, weanlings, and yearlings need a different program. Ask your veterinarian.
05Fecal egg count reduction tests
To check whether a dewormer still works on your farm, take a count on the day you deworm and again 10 to 14 days later, and record both. A reduction well under 90% suggests resistance to that drug class. Your veterinarian can interpret the result and help choose a product.
06Biosecurity habits worth recording
- Isolate new arrivals for about two to three weeks, taking temperatures daily.
- Take the temperature of any horse that seems off, and record it as an incident.
- Keep separate buckets, tack, and grooming tools for isolated horses.
- Log outside horses, trailers, and visitors, especially during disease outbreaks in your area.
- Pick up manure from small paddocks often, compost it well, and avoid spreading fresh manure on pastures horses are grazing.
For fever, nasal discharge with fever, neurologic signs, or any suspected contagious disease. Isolate the horse while you wait.