Horses with daily pasture access in the previous 30 days had higher odds of egg presence and greater median egg counts, researchers found.; | Photo: iStock

Veterinarians know that strongyle parasites and the diseases they can cause are issues for grazing horses worldwide. However, there’s been little research on their precise prevalence and geographic distribution in the U.S.

To bridge that knowledge gap, researchers recently examined the results from the National Animal Health Monitoring Systems Equine 2015 study to determine strongyle parasite egg shedding patterns in the U.S. equine population.

In the study, horse owners from 28 states completed a questionnaire about parasite management practices at their facilities. Those responses, paired with fecal egg count (FECs) results, revealed