AS we think more and more of housing our horses before the winter, we should think of what this transition time means to them. ‘Dr Green’ generally provides for our equines, in particular on limestone-rich land. But housing, even part-time, means a change in diet and management. It is important that we make the transition as gradual as possible and minimise the potential for unintended consequences, such as colic. And our horses may take particular health issues with them from one environment into the next, obesity for example.

Thinking parasitic disease in particular, despite the name, not all individual parasites are truly harmful to all hosts at all times. Some, like an uninvited dinner guest might just eat your food but then go quietly on their way to tomorrow’s free lunch! Increasingly we understand that balance is everything, we shouldn’t aim to exterminate all parasites with drugs at all times! Because attempting to do so, we now understand, promotes the survival of drug-resistant organisms.