What does five-star parasite control look like?

When you’re breeding and managing horses competing at the highest level of the sport, keeping them healthy means attention to detail and trusted guidance at every step. For five-star event rider and trainer Sarah Bullimore, that absolutely applies to parasite control too.

“We use Westgate Labs for all the parasite control of all our horses and have done for over 20 years,” says Sarah. “It’s the way forward for peace of mind that we’re doing the right thing for our horses, not contributing to wormer resistance and taking the best care of them at the same time. Westgate Labs provide such a brilliant service. Really quick, really efficient, always at the end of the phone if I need advice.”

While not every horse in your care may be tackling a five-star cross-country course, every horse deserves good parasite control.

Test, don’t guess

With resistance threatening the effectiveness of the wormers we rely on, routinely treating horses “just in case” is no longer the answer. Instead, modern parasite control is about understanding each horse’s risk, using the appropriate tests and treating only when there is evidence that treatment is needed.

Sarah has been on board from the early days. Long before targeted parasite control became mainstream, a small family-run laboratory in rural Northumberland was working hard to normalise posting off their horse’s poo for analysis.

Westgate Labs pioneered the postal worm egg count service 27 years ago and has been a driving force behind the move towards evidence-based parasite control to slow resistance. Today, the laboratory still processes around 80% of the UK’s equine worm egg counts, analysing and reporting all samples on the day they arrive.

More than a worm egg count

A worm egg count is an important part of parasite control, but it cannot tell you everything. Different parasites require different diagnostic approaches, which is why Westgate works closely with the providers of the EquiSal tapeworm test and also provides testing for pinworm, lungworm and liver fluke, alongside specialist services designed to close gaps in parasite detection.

In 2025, Westgate became the first UK laboratory to offer commercial large redworm larval culture, helping vets, prescribers and horse owners screen for these potentially serious parasites without reverting to unnecessary routine treatment. Every new service is developed with the same question in mind: will this help horse owners make better decisions?

Advice when you need it

Test results themselves are meaningless without support on what to do next. Westgate’s experienced team of SQPs supports thousands of owners, yards, veterinary practices and prescribers with practical parasite-control advice, helping to interpret results, assess risk and decide when further testing or treatment may be appropriate.

It is this combination of diagnostics and accessible expert support that has kept customers such as Sarah coming back for decades.

Better for horses, better for the future

Targeted testing helps reduce unnecessary medicine use and protects the effectiveness of wormers for the future. Westgate applies the same philosophy of sustainability to its own business too.

Their environmental initiatives include a 135-acre nature reserve, compostable and reusable packaging, a 90% reduction in waste sent to landfill and investment in a new laboratory powered by solar energy and air-source heating. From five-star event horses to family ponies, good parasite control starts with knowing what you’re dealing with.

Westgate Labs would love to support you with parasite control for the horses in your care. Watch the video to meet the team behind the results and discover why thousands of horse owners trust Westgate Labs.

What does 5 star parasite control look like? - YouTube

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Shop worm egg counts and EquiSal tapeworm tests for your autumn parasite control at www.westgatelabs.co.uk