Bodywork

Fact:  neck threadworms are now a problem in more countries than 50 years ago. Why 50 years? Because that’s when the bulk of the research into the parasite Onchocerca cervicalis was published.

And an awful lot has changed since then. Uppermost are the shifting weather patterns that have created more warm, wet conditions that the parasite loves – and this has happened in more countries.

It’s a problem your local vet may not be 100% aware of – and it’s not just me saying that. See the results of this UK survey conducted by the University of Liverpool in 2022, published in the Journal of Equine Veterinary Science, and then there’s this vet magazine article frm 2024.)

So if your horse has a seasonal itching problem that nobody can get to the bottom of, then there’s a possibility that neck threadworms might be involved.

Why you need to read this neck threadworms eBook

Almost by accident, an article I wrote in 2012 put neck threadworms on the international map. It was written for my local clients in the coastal zone of northern NSW, Australia, but when I shared a link on Facebook, it suddenly went viral.

The way it took off and the immediate feedback told me everything I needed to know about how horse owners were desperate for answers. Some had horses with their ears shredded from itching. Another had spent in the region of US $10K on veterinary investigations.

All when a couple of tubes of ivermectin or moxidectin could provide an answer that changes horses’ lives.

If you have an itchy horse, you’ll know just what a nightmare this condition can be. 

Your horse is rubbing themselves raw. You’re forever replacing ripped fly rugs. You buy any number of no-itch products that don’t work, or work and then seem to stop. Your vets bills rise, as you pay for test after test, with no answer in sight.

Be honest now. Does any of this sound familiar?

If it does, neck threadworms may be affecting your horse

Not every itchy horse has neck threadworms, but for those that do, this parasite (aka Onchocerca cervicalis) is a nightmare.

And yet, for the cost of a few tubes of dewormer, it can be quickly identified. You can then follow a worming protocol that brings the problem under control.

It takes dedication, but it can be done.

Find the critical information in this eBook: All You Need to Know About Neck Threadworms and your Itchy Horse.

 

This neck threadworms eBook can be a life changer

That’s no exaggeration. Hundreds of horse owners can testify to the usefulness of the info in All You Need to Know About Neck Threadworms and your Itchy Horse.

I’ve received emails and messages from owners whose years’ long battle against the itch has finally been solved.

Owners whose  horses are now relaxed and free of torment.

Other owners have been able to stop the problem from the get-go, as with the help of this eBook, they’ve recognized why their horse has just started itching.

A solution to your horse’s problem with neck threadworms

In this succinct eBook, you’ll find everything you need to know:

• What the parasite is
• How it behaves
• Why it’s such a problem for horses
• How to manage neck threadworms
• What you need to do, and when
• Why not every itchy horse has neck threadworms
• All your nagging questions answered…

 

And who am I?

My name is Dr Jane Clothier and I’ve been researching and writing about this parasite for nearly two decades. I have a PhD in an equine development subject, meaning you can rely on the information included as being validly researched and carefully interpreted.

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This eBook is available from thehorsesback store. The eBook can be read in Apple Books, Google play, and eReaders such as Calibre (free Calibre download).

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Photos that show the signs of neck threadworms

You  need to know what to look for, so I’ve included photos showing common presenations. Some are typical and match the ones that equine vets have learned about.

Others aren’t – and that’s important to know.

The lowdown on neck threadworms in 20 chapters

The book is organised to make it easy as possible to read up on this parasite. Here are the chapters:

1. Introduction
2. Quick Check: Treatment Protocols
3. The Strange Lifecycle of Neck Threadworms
4. Signs Your Horse May Have Neck Threadworms
5. Can We Test for Neck Threadworms?
6. Is it the Itch – or Neck Threadworms?
7. Can Neck Threadworms Lead to ‘The Itch’?
8. The Treatment Protocols
9. Intense Itching After Deworming
10. How Long Do We Continue Deworming?
11. Deworming for Neck Threadworms and Gastrointestinal Worms
12. Reducing the Ulcer Risk
13. Managing the Itching Response
14. An International Parasite
15. Can We Overcome This Problem?
16. Biting Midges Differ Worldwide
17. How Does the Parasite Move Within the Horse?
18. A Problem with Diagnosis
19. Where to Next with Neck Threadworms?
20. More Help

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This eBook is available from thehorsesback store. The eBook can be read in Apple Books, Google play, and eReaders such as Calibre (free Calibre download).

 

IMPORTANT!

Almost every month, I hear from someone who is unable to open the eBook. Here’s  what you need to do.

1. You will receive downloads of the following files: .ePub .mobi, which you can read in an eReader app on your device or laptop
2. So, please check your emails after purchase – the email will be from PAYHIP, the service provider I use to distribute the eBook. Check your Spam folder!
3. On a laptop or PC, save the attached files to a folder.
4. You’ll need an eReader on your laptop, mobile or tablet to read this book. This is an app, such as Calibre, Apple Books or Google Play – there are many others available, mostly free and easy to use.
5. Just open your eReader and your downloaded eBook should be viewable  straightaway. On laptops, you may need to browse to your saved files.

If you really can’t cope with eReaders…

I’ve made the PDF available. The higher price reflects the fact that in doing so, I am losing control of my intellectual property.

Note: this information is not intended to replace veterinary advice. Your equine veterinarian should always be consulted prior to starting any treatment protocols.

The importance of land management in the horse paddock, and its close relationship to horse health, is explored in this guest post by Laura  Hobbs, Chartered Environmentalist, of Switch Equine. Based in the UK, Switch Equine helps horse owners and professionals create thriving environments for horses. Here, Laura introduces the SWITCH framework, a system offering a way to understand the challenges and solutions involved.

Laura writes:

We spend so much time trying to do right by our horses. We adjust feed, tweak routines, try new supplements, manage turnout, and consult professionals.

Yet many of the issues we face – weight gain, hoof weakness, parasite pressure, behavioral tension, metabolic instability, skin problems – keep returning. They appear in different seasons, in different horses, under different management styles. They seem unrelated.

But they are not unrelated. They are environmental.

To help owners see these patterns, I created the SWITCH framework – a simple way to think about and understand how land and horse health are intertwined. It’s not a method or a product, but a way of thinking.

The Horse Paddock and the Evolved Horse

When we step back far enough, using a systems‑thinking lens, a different picture emerges: our horses are intrinsically linked to the environment that shaped them over 55 million years of evolution.

Their physiology, behavior, metabolism, hooves, and immune systems remain remarkably similar to their ancient ancestors. What has changed – dramatically – is the environment we keep them in.

The question is no longer ‘How do we fix this individual problem?’ The question is: ‘Do our management systems support the environments horses evolved to depend on?’

Why the Horse Paddock is a System

Horses live in systems, not management categories. Modern equine care tends to break things into parts: nutrition, behavior, hoof care, grazing, stabling, parasites, etc. But horses don’t experience their lives in categories. They experience them as a whole, interconnected system.

A systems‑thinking approach recognizes that:

• Soil influences forage.
• Forage influences metabolism.
• Water influences movement, mud, and microbial balance.
• Terrain influences hooves and posture.
• Integration influences behavior and emotional wellbeing.
• Climate influences comfort and seasonal rhythms.
• Management decisions influence all of it.

When we look at the horse through this wider lens, many of the conditions we treat as isolated problems begin to make sense as environmental signals.

Environmental Signals Affect Horse Health

We need to look not at isolated conditions, but at environmental signals.

Liver Health

Consider forage quality and liver health. Horses grazing on low‑diversity, overgrazed, or waterlogged pastures are exposed to plants and fungi that produce secondary metabolites, endophytes, and mycotoxins. These compounds are not dramatic poisons – they are natural stress responses in plants and soil microbes.

But when soil structure is poor, biodiversity is low, or water sits on the surface, these compounds accumulate. The horse’s liver becomes the buffer for an ecological imbalance happening beneath their feet.

What looks like ‘mystery liver disease’ is often the body absorbing the consequences of stressed land.

Hoof Health

Consider hoof quality. Weak walls, cracks, thrush, and white line disease are often treated as hoof management issues, yet they are strongly influenced by terrain, moisture cycles, microbial balance, and movement.

Hooves reflect the ground they meet. Flat, compacted, or chronically wet land produces very different hooves from varied, textured, well‑drained terrain.

This is not a trimming problem. It is a landscape problem.

Parasite Pressure

Parasite pressure is another clear example. Eggs and larvae thrive in specific moisture and temperature conditions. Soil structure, grazing patterns, and water movement determine whether parasites disperse or concentrate.

Modern guidance now emphasizes targeted worming, not blanket treatments, because the real driver of parasite load is how we graze, not how often we dose.

Overgrazed or repeatedly grazed areas create parasite ‘hotspots’, while well‑designed grazing systems dilute pressure naturally. Parasite management is not a chemical issue – it is a soil-water-integration issue.

Laminitis Risk

Yes, even laminitis – often framed as a purely nutritional or metabolic condition – has clear environmental dimensions.

People know about spring and autumn flushes – that isn’t new. What is less widely understood is that stressed, overgrazed grass can contain higher concentrations of sugars per mouthful. This is because plants under stress (drought, cold nights, overgrazing, compaction) accumulate non‑structural carbohydrates faster than they can use them.

This means that a short, sparse, ‘safe‑looking’ paddock can deliver a higher metabolic load than a longer, more diverse sward. Laminitis is not simply a feeding mistake. It is a soil-plant-stress interaction showing up in the horse’s feet.

Across all these examples, the pattern is the same: the horse’s body is responding to the environment.

SWITCH: A New Approach to Paddock Management

To help owners see these patterns, I created the SWITCH framework – a simple way to understand how land and horse health are intertwined. It’s not a method or a product. It’s a clear, useable lens for understanding and seeing the whole system.

S – Soil

Soil influences forage quality, mineral balance, and metabolic resilience. Healthy soils grow balanced plants; stressed soils grow stressed forage.

W – Water

Water shapes movement, mud, and parasite pressure. How water flows determines hoof health, skin health, and grazing safety.

I – Integration

Integration shapes behavior, movement, and emotional wellbeing. Horses need space, choice, and social interaction – all influenced by land design.

T – Terrain

Terrain shapes posture, proprioception, and hoof conditioning. Working with the landscape, not against it, builds strong, adaptable bodies.

C – Climate

Climate shapes comfort, hydration, and seasonal needs. Observing seasonal shifts – and building resilience through soil structure, plant diversity, and canopy layers – buffers horses from extremes.

H – Holistic management

Holistic management shapes everything. It is the overview that brings all these elements together. It is being proactive rather than reactive, adaptable rather than rigid, and responsive to the land rather than imposing a fixed plan upon it.

SWITCH helps us understand the horse’s whole life – from the soil beneath its feet to the systems that shape its health. It shows us not just what is happening, but why, and how to support resilience from the ground up.

Why the Environment is Central to Equine Welfare

To take this further: welfare is not a checklist, but a living system. The environment shapes welfare through:

Choice and agency: Land design determines whether horses can express natural behaviors.

Movement and exploration: Tracks, terrain, and grazing patterns influence how horses move, play, and interact.

Forage diversity and nutritional stability: Diverse plants support metabolic balance, gut health, and emotional regulation.

Immune function: Healthy soils and biodiverse environments support microbial exposure and resilience.

Proprioception and physical development: Varied terrain builds strong, adaptable bodies and confident movement.

Emotional regulation: Space, shelter, and social integration reduce stress and support calm behavior.

Metabolic balance: Forage quality, water flow, and soil health all influence metabolic load.

 

When we restore ecological function, we restore welfare. And when we work with nature, we support the whole horse – physically, emotionally, and behaviorally.

 

This post on the early treatment of ‘crooked legs’ in foals (Angular Limb Deformities) is written by Dr Lauren Jones, the veterinarian behind Kentaro Veterinary Services, a mobile equine practice on the Coffs Coast of NSW, Australia.

Known for her calm, practical approach, Lauren spends her days helping horses from foals to elite eventers. She’s passionate about education, preventative care, and the demystification of veterinary medicine, giving owners clear, no-nonsense advice they can actually use. 

Dr Lauren writes:

Ever had someone say your horse is duck-footed or pigeon-toed? Or maybe that they paddle or have a wonky gait?

That’s often due to a conformational fault. The good news is that in foals, it’s something we can often correct before it becomes a long-term problem.

There are all types of these – legs that bend in, out, or are contracted or lax. Each type changes the way the joints line up and the way forces travel down the limb.

This is exactly why I’m so particular about foal checks at birth. Early intervention gives us the best chance to guide those growing legs into alignment.

It’s never a one-person job – it takes a team effort: dedicated owners, a skilled farrier, a bodyworker, and a vet with an eye for detail. Together we can make a huge difference in how that foal matures and moves for life.

A quick run-down on those crooked legs

Angular Limb Deformities (ALD) can look like a foal doing the hokey kokey, but what’s really happening is much more complicated. These deformities come in a few different flavours and can be congenital (born that way) or acquired (develop after birth).

Congenital causes

These are usually linked to what happens before or around birth.

• Soft tissue trauma during delivery.
• Lax or flaccid joints, when the ligaments and tendons are just a bit too stretchy at birth.
• Premature birth, twin pregnancies, placentitis, etc. can cause underdeveloped bones (incomplete ossification)

Developmental (acquired) causes

These are termed ‘acquired’. They tend to show up a bit later and are often influenced by:

• Unbalanced nutrition (too much, too little, or the wrong mix for growing foals).
• Excessive exercise or trauma – those young legs take a lot of load too quickly.
• Environmental factors – a hill can cause a slant if a foal is already tending one way or another.
• Lack of good hoof care early can lead to abnormal wear, changing the forces on the foot.

Some of these can be sneaky and hard to spot until the foal hits the ground and starts moving.

In simple terms, we talk about:

• ‘Valgus’ is when the limb angles outwards (toes point out, knees or hocks in).
• ‘Varus’ is when the limb angles inwards (toes point in, knees or hocks out).
• Contraction is when everything is too tight.
• Laxity is when everything is too loose.
• A combination of all the above.

 

And ever seen a little foal that looks like the wind’s been blowing from one side a bit too long? Meet the windswept foal – a classic example of Angular Limb Deformities in action. This foal is half Valgus, half Varus. You put your left foot in and your right foot out and shake it all about…

 

Straight talk about treatment

Every foal is different, and the key is working out whether that crooked leg needs a bit of time, a trim, or a team approach to get things straight again.

The good news? With the right plan and good teamwork, these cases can do brilliantly, and what’s more, they do so in a pretty short period of time.

Here’s how we can tackle mild to moderate limb deformities with conservative management. For more severe cases, surgical management is an option.

Exercise-restriction or controlled exercise

When the muscles are too tight, then we need to rest them to let them relax. When the muscles are too loose, they need gentle exercise to strengthen them.

Corrective trimming

Our farrier team works magic here! Small, frequent trims can help rebalance how the foot hits the ground and redirect forces up the limb.

Here we are looking at left-to-right imbalances. When you pick up the foot of a pigeon-toed horse, you will notice that one heel is longer than the other. The first step is to even the heels up (it can be millimeters), before reassessing.

If the fetlock is straight, great! If not, we can come back and take off a couple more millimeters. Be wary, as there isn’t much foot to play with. It’s best to do this trimming under an experienced eye.

Hoof extensions

Glue-on or lightweight extensions can shift the weight distribution and give growing bones a little nudge in the right direction.

 

Physio tape

This fires the nerves to work more on one side than the other, due to gentle tactile feedback. This can encourage the muscles to work slightly harder on one side in order to straighten the leg.

Splints and bandages

Used carefully and for short periods, these help support weak or lax joints while the soft tissues strengthen. They can also be used to gently stretch tight joints. Note: these look simple, but are not without risk, as they can heat up the leg, slip, or cause rub. It’s very easy to end up with long-lasting scar tissue and white hair. If used incorrectly or if the foal is too boisterous, they can cause negative effects quickly!

Bodywork

Some gentle bodywork, including a little limb mobilisation and stretching, or acupuncture can help ease the muscular tensions that build up as the foal works hard to balance itself. Some modalities will stimulate the nervous system and help it to ‘forget’ the incorrect posture as the limbs improve.

Surgery

For more severe or stubborn cases, we can use veterinary surgery. ‘Stripping’ is when the bone membrane is lifted to speed growth on the ‘short’ side of the leg. ‘Stapling’ is when a screw or pin is fixed across the growth plate to slow growth on ‘long’ side of leg. That’s how surgery influences bone growth. It’s a higher level of intervention, but timing is still critical.

Should your foal be confined or not?

Owners are often ‘advised’ by well-wishers that they should keep their foal confined, or allow it to run around to exercise – with the same advice being given for all manner of Angular Limb Deformities.

Try not to take such advice, but instead get a vet with an experienced eye for forelegs AND hindlegs to have a look at mare and foal in the first 12 to 24 hours. Doing so gives many advantages.

 For the mare, we check that:

• She has passed her membranes,
• Her udder is comfortable,
• Any minor tears are treated.

We can also assess whether she is going to need a post-foaling flush treatment.

For the foal, we check that:

• Meconium has passed normally,
• The bite is strong,
• The heart has no murmurs,
• The lungs are clear,
• The umbilicus is clean and dry,
• There are no hernias,
• Temperature is normal.

We also do an IGG test to check the immune system has absorbed enough antibodies from mum’s first milk, which carries colostrum.

Importantly, we check legs for straightness and development, seeing problems that the owner might not spot. We create a plan if they need treatment.

It’s best to keep both mum and foal confined until then! This also has another advantage: the pair bond in a safe place so that mum doesn’t need to get over-protective or run from that ‘lion’, over-exercising those vulnerable baby legs.

Be sure to act in time

No matter the approach, monitoring is critical. Foals grow fast, sometimes changing week to week, and what’s perfect timing for one joint might be too late for another.

Don’t leave it too late! Fetlock deformities are best addressed before 4 months of age, as growth plates near closure. The window for knee and hock deformities is longer, but the best results are achieved before 6-8 months.

Where possible, early management is nearly always better, as you’ll see faster results for less intervention. It also leaves less time for problems to worsen or lead to additional issues.

That’s why early checks and ongoing follow-up visits make all the difference to your growing foal’s legs.