Westgate Labs

03/06/2026

🌦 One of the biggest influencers of parasite burdens is the weather. Temperatures and rainfall, have a massive impact on the worms in our horses. A mild winter followed by a warm and wet summer, can significantly increase the risk of dangerous parasite burdens.

☀ This summer, start with a worm egg count to help protect your horse's health.

🌻 For seasonal advice 👉 bit.ly/SummerParasiteControl
🛒 Shop tests 👉 bit.ly/Westgate-Shop-All

01/06/2026

☀️ 𝗛𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗼 𝗦𝘂𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗿! Longer days, warmer weather, flies, grazing changes, plus a whole new set of parasite risks for horses!

🔬🐴 This summer, start with a worm egg count and build your parasite control plan around testing, not guesswork.

✅ Risk assess every horse
🔬 Worm egg count every 8-12 weeks for redworm and ascarids
💦 EquiSal test for tapeworm if you haven't in the last six months
🌱 Manage dung, grazing, treatment and biosecurity to reduce risk and reinfection.

Find seasonal tips and parasite control advice here 👉 bit.ly/SummerParasiteControl

🛒 Shop tests 👉 bit.ly/Westgate-Shop-All

31/05/2026

🤩 Ambassador Sally and her super fit Highland Pony Rabbit Follow the Rabbit, with some great advice about knowing your horse’s weight and the difference in result between a weigh bridge and the weight tape!

💪 By knowing your horse’s true weight, you’ll never under dose with wormer and add to resistance problems 🙌

**Rabs is 484kg. 445 on the weight tape.

Rabbit is a perfect 5!

Me and the floof dropped in on the Baileys weighbridge and condition scoring stand at Pembrey.
These are popping up at rides across the country as part of the new partnership between Baileys Horse Feeds and Endurance GB to support the Suitably Mounted iniative - aimed at improving awareness of weight in horse welfare.
Well I’m in! As someone who has spent their horse owning lifetime trying to keep a native (now two!) the right side of chonky.
I am therefore thrilled that Rabbit was scored 5/9 for condition. Absolutely bloody well thrilled. The closest we have ever been on a professional scoring was 5.5.
“The best conditioned Highland I have ever seen” said the Baileys lady, Laura Harries.
Condition scoring is so critical. People can get obsessed with the weight their pony is - or what they think it should be. But just like humans, there is no standard weight. It’s how you look and feel that matters.
Of course we did weigh Rabs too. I explained she is weight-taped weekly and I make a note of the monthly average. From personal experience I also know I need to add 40kg to allow for differential between tape and weight bridge.
And this was spot on!
So how much does a 50k fit Highland with a condition score of 5 weigh? It might surprise you.
PS: of course the floofer tried to graze WHILE STANDING ON THE BRIDGE 🤣

29/05/2026

🐴⚠️ Are you dosing by guesswork... or for your horse's actual weight? As Kristy explains, one of the golden rules of worming is to give enough chemical for the weight of the animal.

Underdosing and exposing worms to too little active ingredient, is one of the quickest ways to encourage wormer resistance.

✅ Don't rely on estimating by eye, studies show this can be out by up to 30%
✅ Use a weighbridge whenever possible
✅ If using a weight tape, add 10% to help ensure the correct dose

⚖ Wormers are safe medications, which is why vets recommend adding that extra 10% when calculating the dose.

💚 Getting the dose right protects your horse and helps preserve the effectiveness of wormers for the future 👉 bit.ly/Effective-Worming

25/05/2026

🌍💚 Today is International Plastic Free Day and this month, the is encouraging horse owners to make the by swapping single use plastics for plastic free alternatives.

♻️ Did you know that by choosing Westgate Labs for your worm egg counts, you're making an eco friendly choice? Our green sample pots are plastic free, made from a cutting-edge biomaterial, while our returned pouches, envelopes and letterbox packs are recyclable. Even the gloves included in our kits are compostable and can go straight onto the muckheap, making our award wining range of parasite control test kits zero waste.

🌱 The campaign encourages everyone to make one small change each month, showing how simple swaps can benefit the planet, horse wellbeing and our wallets. There are prizes to be won each month too! Small changes really can add up to a big difference and smart, sustainable parasite control makes it easy to protect both your horse and the environment.

💚 Make the with us! To get involved, visit or head to www.smallchangechallenge.com

Shop test kits 👉 bit.ly/Westgate-Shop-All