New Australian Horse Worming Guidelines: What Every Horse Owner Must Know
Understanding the New Horse Worming Guidelines in Australia
Updated September 2025
A practical guide to the new evidence-based worming standards for Australian horse owners - covering what’s changed, when to treat, and how to protect against drench resistance.
For years, Aussie riders were told to worm every 6 - 8 weeks, rotate drenches, and call it a day. It sounded simple, but there was a catch. Worms adapted. Over-worming created tough, resistant parasites that no longer respond to the old routine. By 2025, resistance is one of the biggest threats to horse health in Australia.
That’s why the Australian Equine Parasitology Advisory Panel (AEPAP) has overhauled the rules with the new Australian Guidelines for Equine Internal Parasite Management (AGEIPM). Instead of blanket dosing, the new system is about worming smarter, less often, and in line with Australia’s unique conditions. For horse owners, this means healthier horses, fewer drenches, and wormers that actually keep working long-term.
Why blanket worming is out
The old “worm every 6 - 8 weeks” advice had two big flaws:
- Worms got tougher: Constant exposure trained parasites to survive drenches, and those resistant worms spread fast.
- Horses got drenched unnecessarily: Many horses naturally carry low worm burdens. Treating them the same as heavy shedders was a wasted effort.
Today, resistant small strongyles (cyathostomes) are common across Australia, and once resistance sets in, it never goes back.
What’s changed in the 2025 guidelines?
The updated guidelines are all about targeted, evidence-based worming. Here’s what’s different:
- No more calendar worming: Forget 6 - 8 week cycles.
- Foundation treatments: Most adult horses need only 1 - 2 drenches per year, in spring and late autumn.
- Young horses need more: Foals and yearlings need 3 - 4 wormings annually until their immunity strengthens.
- FEC testing optional: Vets may recommend faecal egg counts, but the minimum rule is clear: at least two targeted wormings per horse, per year.
- Rotate slowly: Change chemical families yearly, not every dose.
How to apply the new worming rules
1. Worm at the right times
- Spring: Strongyles + tapeworm. Use Equimax Plus Tape.
- Late Summer - Autumn: Bots + strongyles. Use Virbac Ultimum.
- Late Autumn - Winter: Strongyles + tapeworm. Use Virbac Equimax or Strategy-T.
2. Match the program to age
- Foals & yearlings: 3 - 4 wormings per year (focus on roundworms + strongyles).
- 1 - 3 years: 3 wormings annually until immunity develops.
- Adults 3+ years: 1 - 2 treatments per year, unless classed as high shedders.
3. Quarantine new arrivals
Always worm new horses with a combination product before turnout. Hold them in a clean yard to avoid introducing resistant worms to your paddocks.
Pasture management: the other half of the equation
No worming program works without good paddock hygiene:
- Pick up manure at least twice weekly.
- Rest or rotate paddocks to break worm life cycles.
- Cross-graze with sheep or cattle where possible.
- Avoid overstocking to reduce exposure.
Recommended wormers under the 2025 guidelines
- Equimax Plus Tape: strongyles + tapeworms.
- Virbac Ultimum: dual-active coverage for bots + strongyles.
- Virbac Equimax: broad-spectrum with praziquantel.
- Strategy-T: trusted rotation option.
Key takeaways for Aussie horse owners
- Stop blanket 6 - 8 week worming, less is more.
- Give every horse 1 - 2 foundation treatments yearly.
- Use the right wormer at the right time (spring & late autumn).
- Foals and youngsters need more frequent treatments.
- Combine worming with pasture hygiene for the best results.
The bottom line: The 2025 guidelines are about protecting your horse now, while keeping drenches effective for the future. With the right wormers at the right times, you’ll stay ahead of resistance and keep your horses healthier, longer.
Ready to worm smarter, not harder? Explore Delzani’s complete range of horse wormers and follow the 2025 guidelines with confidence.
Written by Jane Griffiths - An experienced Australian horse owner and product developer with over three decades immersed in equestrian life. Jane has spent years refining horse rugs, tack, and riding apparel to better suit Australian climates. She has enjoyed countless weekends at gymkhanas, show jumping events, and pony club competitions with her daughter, and still loves hitting the trails with friends whenever she can. Her lifelong passion for horses and hands-on understanding of equine comfort continue to shape her practical, rider-first approach to horse care and product design.
Related Equestrian Guides
Horse Wormers & Treatments
Every rider wants their horse to look, feel, and perform at their best. Delzani horse wormers make it easy to protect your horse from internal parasites, with trusted products riders across Australia rely on.
When Should You Worm a Horse in Australia?
Not sure when to worm your horse in Australia? This seasonal guide explains the best times to worm in spring, summer, autumn, and winter, with clear advice for foals, young horses, and adults. Keep your horse protected year-round.
Wormer Resistance in Horses Australia | Causes & Prevention
Wormer resistance is a serious and growing issue for Australian horse owners. Learn what it is, how it develops, and the proven strategies to slow resistance while protecting your horse with effective, broad-spectrum wormers.
Worming Foals, Young Horses & Seniors | Age-Specific Horse Worming Australia
Worming needs change dramatically as horses age. Foals, young horses, adults and seniors all face different parasite threats. Learn how to protect your horse at every life stage with smart worming strategies and trusted Australian wormers.
Privacy Policy
Delzani is committed to providing you with a high level of customer service. This includes protecting and maintaining the privacy, accuracy and security of your personal information. We are bound by and will abide by the National Privacy Principles in the Privacy Act (Cth) 1988 . This is in addition to our existing obligations under the Privacy Act.
What personal information do we collect and hold?
In the process of conducting our business we are likely to collect a wide range of personal information about you. The type of personal information we collect always includes your name, residential and billing address, email address, telephone or mobile numbers and products and services we provide to you. We don’t store any credit card information on our web site. We pass it onto our bank for processing.
How do we collect personal information?
Delzani collects personal information directly from you when you submit it online at Delzani.com.au . There may be occasions when we collect information from publicly available sources or third parties. This information includes names, email addresses, telephone numbers and social media profile name sourced from permission based marketing activities.
Cookies and Web beacons
A cookie is a small text file that is stored on a user’s computer for record-keeping purposes. We use cookies on this site. We use session ID cookies. We use session cookies to make it easier for you to navigate our site. A session ID cookie expires when you close you browser. If you reject cookies, you may still use our site, but your ability to use some areas of our site will be limited.
Some of our business partners (e.g. tracking utility company) use cookies and Web beacons on our site. We have no access to or control over these tracking technologies.
Delzani advertises with Google. Google may show you our ads based on your having visited our site. If you do not wish to see these ads you can opt-out by visiting the Google advertising opt-out page here http://www.google.com/privacy_ads.html.
Rate and Review
If you provide a review or rating for a product available through Delzani Online we reserve the right to publish part or all of your review or rating together with your first name and suburb.
Links to Other Sites
This Website contains links to other sites that are not owned or controlled by Delzani. Please be aware that we, Delzani, are not responsible for the privacy practices of such other sites. We encourage you to be aware when you leave our site and to read the privacy statements of each and every Web site that collects personally identifiable information. This privacy statement applies only to information collected by this website.
How do we use personal information?
In order to improve and better our offers and service, we may keep track of patterns of use in the e-mails and social interactions we send. By supplying us your information, you have given us permission to communicate to you via mail, e-mail, SMS, MMS, social media and telephone to inform you about services we deliver relevant to you indefinitely.
Disclosure of personal information
We may use or disclose your personal information to organisations outside Delzani for purposes relating to the management of your account with us. Such organisations include: Service providers who manage the services provided to you; mailing systems which organise delivery of the products you have purchased; live help service providers, maintenance and repair services; market research; and our professional advisers, accountants, lawyers and auditors.
We require these organisations to adhere to strict confidentiality of your personal information and also seek to ensure that they adhere to the National Privacy Principles. These service providers may not use your personal information for their own marketing purposes.
Security
Delzani takes reasonable steps to ensure that your personal information is secure. We have robust systems and procedures in place to protect your privacy whenever we collect, store and use or disclose personal information. We are continually upgrading these systems and reviewing our procedures to ensure the highest standards of security are used to protect your personal information.
How to access and amend personal information
If you wish to obtain a copy of our data privacy policy, access the personal information we hold about you or your personal information is inaccurate, incomplete outdated or to unsubscribe, please direct any queries regarding your privacy rights email sales@delzani.com.au.
The release of information is subject to some exceptions such as information relating to existing or any anticipated legal proceedings, together with exceptions provided by the Privacy Act. Our objective is to respond to any request within a reasonable timeframe and no later than 30 days.
How your information may be shared
Except for the purposes outlined in the Delzani Privacy Policy, we never sell or disclose your personal information. However, we may release personal information under the following circumstances:
-
when requested by the courts or laws (for example, a subpoena) or regulation or is requested by a government agency;
-
where we deem a company or an individual may be engaged in fraudulent activity or other deceptive practices that a governmental agency should be made aware of; and/or to appropriate persons, where your communication suggests possible harm to others.
Changes in this Privacy Policy
If we decide to change our privacy policy, we will post those changes to this document, the home page and other places we deem appropriate so that you are aware of what information we collect, how we use it and under what circumstances, if any, we disclose it. We reserve the right to modify this privacy policy at any time, so please review it frequently. If we make material changes to this policy, we will notify you here, by email, or by means of a notice on our homepage.
Shop Now. Pay Later.
Always interest-free.
Add your favourites to cart
Select Afterpay at checkout
Log into or create your Afterpay account, with instant approval decision
Your purchase will be split into 4 payments, payable every 2 weeks
All you need to apply is to have a debit or credit card, to be over 18 years of age, and to be a resident of country offering Afterpay
Late fees and additional eligibility criteria apply. The first payment may be due at the time of purchase
For complete terms visit afterpay.com/terms