Since 1999 our award winning lab has been offering an easy to use worm egg count and testing service to help you keep your horses and other animals healthy.
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Friendly vet approved advice. Subscriptions, season packs, commercial services for yards of 10+. 'More than just a worm count' not only the original postal worm count service direct to owners, yards, merchants, vets and charities, but also experienced, qualified advice to help you find the very best worming programme for your horses, using fewer wormers. Friendly SQP's (Suitably Qualified Persons) are here to help and all advice comes free as part of the service. For updates on poultry and other grazing animals such as chickens, ducks, sheep, cattle and goats please follow our sister page https://www.facebook.com/westgatelabs.smallholders
20/02/2026
๐จ ๐๐๐ฏ๐ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐ญ๐๐ฌ๐ญ๐๐ ๐จ๐ซ ๐ญ๐ซ๐๐๐ญ๐๐ ๐๐จ๐ซ ๐๐ง๐๐ฒ๐ฌ๐ญ๐๐ ๐ซ๐๐๐ฐ๐จ๐ซ๐ฆ ๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐ฌ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ง๐ญ๐๐ซ? If you have a horse classed as medium or high for parasite risk, then it's really important to deal with any larval small redworm that could be harbouring in the gut wall. A mass emergence, most likely as temperatures start to rise with the onset of Spring, can be so dangerous to horse health and difficult to treat.
โณ Don't wait, please act now to protect your horse!
๐ด๐ฌ For winter advice plus how to assess your horseโs parasite risk and plan the best approach ๐ bit.ly/WinterParasiteControl
19/02/2026
๐ด๐ Updated CANTER guidelines have been released, offering free, evidence based advice to help horse owners and equine professionals take a strategic, risk based approach to parasite control, rather than routine or ad hoc treatments.
CANTER is an industry led collaboration of equestrian experts focused on tackling wormer resistance. With resistance continuing to pose a serious threat to equine health and welfare in the UK, the revised guidance brings together the latest research, expert insight and practical recommendations to help safeguard wormer effectiveness for the future
For more information ๐ bit.ly/Revised-CANTER-Guidelines
17/02/2026
๐ฅ๐ด The Fire Horse is known for independence, intelligence and a spark of fearless curiosity. Westgate Labs shares that spirit and customers value tests they can trust with the confidence that theyโre doing the right thing for the health of those in their care and for the national herd.
17/02/2026
Not long to go before we'll be joining other experts who are exhibiting at the Horses Inside Out Conference: Soundness and Symmetry, 21-22 February 2026!
16/02/2026
๐ฆ If the start of the year has felt like one long downpour, you're not imagining it. Waterlogged paddocks and deep mud have made regular poo picking impossible for many horse owners.
๐ซฃ With that often comes guilt. We know pasture hygiene reduces parasite risk. Yet there are times when the weather simply wins. If you couldn't keep up with dung removal this winter, you're not alone and welfare includes yours as well as your horseโs too.
๐ค๏ธWhen conditions improve, focus on what you can control. Clear accumulated droppings as thoroughly as possible. Rotate or rest heavily contaminated areas where practical and pick up where you left off before the rains came!
๐ฌ๐ Most importantly, keep testing. Worm egg counts every 8 to 12 weeks will show whether egg shedding is rising, allowing evidence based decisions about treatment.
๐ค A wet winter does not undo years of responsible management. Sustainable parasite control is about balance, not perfection.
Our top tips on taking back control after winter ๐ bit.ly/Waterlogged-Winter-Parasites
14/02/2026
โค ๐๐๐๐ฆ๐ ๐ฆ๐๐๐ ๐๐ก๐๐ฆ ๐ฆ๐ข๐ข๐ก! Stock up on test kits and enjoy 10% OFF until midnight tonight.
๐ Don't miss out! Discount ends midnight 14th February 2026. Grab the code and shop test kits here ๐ bit.ly/Valentine-Flash-10
13/02/2026
โค ๐๐๐๐ฆ๐ ๐ฆ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ฉ๐ ๐ก๐ข๐ช! Stock up on test kits and enjoy 10% OFF! For a limited time only, enjoy our Valentine discount to help you care for your equines, poultry and farm animals with tests you can trust, with love from us! ๐ฉท
๐๏ธ Our newsletter subscribers already have the discount code and are shopping now!
๐ Offer ends midnight 14th February 2026. Grab the code and shop test kits here ๐ bit.ly/Valentine-Flash-10
12/02/2026
๐ข This heart breaking case shared by World Horse Welfare is a sobering reminder of how important good parasite control really is.
๐ฏ๐ฌ The plight of these ponies highlights why taking a planned, strategic approach matters, using the right tools at the right time. Faecal egg counts play a vital role in guiding responsible treatment, but no single test tells the whole story. Other parasites and life stages, including encysted small redworm in the late autumn and winter, need informed decision making as part of a wider control programme.
๐ We work with our customers to build parasite control plans tailored to the risk and circumstances of individual horses. With the right support in place, desperately sad situations like this can be far less likely.
Read more about the work of World Horse Welfare and the plight of these ponies here ๐ bit.ly/Welfare-Plight-Four-Ponies
11/02/2026
Westgate is 27 today ๐ Weโre celebrating 27 years of improving parasite control for horses and grazing animals, and we couldnโt have done it without you.
What started as a simple belief, that testing before treating was better for horses, has grown into a movement that has helped to reshape parasite control across the industry. We are so proud of the part we have played in driving more sustainable, responsible approaches, and in standing up to the challenge of wormer resistance.
But this has never just been about us. Thank you for trusting us with your horses and livestock, for choosing to test, for asking questions, for changing habits, and for being part of a community that truly cares about animal health.
We feel incredibly lucky to be doing this work in our small but mighty corner of the industry, surrounded by customers and colleagues who share our commitment.
Here is to 27 years of progress, partnership and purpose. Now, weโre off to enjoy some cake ๐ฅ๐
09/02/2026
โค๏ธ Coming Soon! Look out for a cheeky Valentines Day discount so you can do the best for your horse's health, with love from us!
๐ Don't miss out - be the first to know about special offers and keep up to date with the latest news from the lab, by making sure you've signed up to our seasonal newsletter. To login in, use the link below and enter your email address. If it's the first time just use the forgotten password option. Then, select Contact Preferences and tick the box that includes receiving special offers ๐ bit.ly/westgate-account-login
05/02/2026
โ๏ธ๐๐ด ๐๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ ๐ต๐ผ๐ฟ๐๐ฒ ๐ป๐ฒ๐ฒ๐ฑ๐ ๐ฎ ๐๐ถ๐ป๐๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ผ๐๐ผ๐ฐ๐ผ๐น ๐๐ผ ๐บ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฎ๐ด๐ฒ ๐ฝ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐๐ฒ ๐ฟ๐ถ๐๐ธ. With the arrival of February, there's still time to address the potential risk of encysted redworm this winter.
โ Start by assessing your horseโs individual parasite risk and use our Winter Protocol Flow Chart to choose the most appropriate approach for every horse here ๐ bit.ly/WinterWorming
๐ฉบ If your horse is classed as low risk with consistently low worm egg counts (under 200 epg for at least a year), lives in a closed herd, benefits from good paddock management with frequent poo picking and hasn't had a de-wormer in the last 4 months, it's worth chatting to your vet about whether the small redworm blood test is a suitable option. Every horse that avoids an unnecessary moxidectin treatment helps protect this important medicine for the future ๐
02/02/2026
๐ด๐คฉ Itโs an exciting time and you canโt wait to get them settled in and start enjoying your new partnership, but donโt let them jump in with the herd too soon! A new horse, however well it seems, should always be quarantined and tested to help protect the herd and your grazing from potential infection.
๐ฌ๐ Many of you probably recognise our lovely ambassador Sally Follow the Rabbit who got in touch for advice as soon as she knew this handsome chap was the one to join her in new adventures! It can take a couple weeks to go through the required test and treat process, so it pays to plan ahead to ensure your new horse isn't bringing unwanted passengers with them.
๐ฅฐ The great news is that Sally did indeed have a happy new horse day and by planning ahead, now has a worm control plan in place to keep everyone in her little herd happy and healthy ๐
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Our mission is to improve the health and worm control of horses in the UK. Since 1999 our purpose built lab has been operating on the family farm in Northumberland to help vets and horse owners identify parasite burdens in their animals and target treatment appropriately.
But every year horses still die from parasite infections and thousands more are left with long term damage. Meanwhile resistance is the massive black cloud that not enough people are taking seriously. So this is what gets us out of bed every morning! Using fewer wormers slows the development of drug resistance as well as being better for the animals and the environment.
We offer an easy to use professional service and all tests include veterinary approved followup advice from our friendly team of experts. Our aim is to provide the best customer experience possible to help you navigate this sometimes complex aspect of your horseโs wellbeing.
Services include; worm egg counts for redworm and roundworm, the EquiSal saliva test for tapeworm plus pinworm, lungworm and liver fluke tests. We also offer faecal sand testing for horses to help guard against the risks of sand colic. This test measures sediment levels in the dung and gives a quantitative measure of the level found to help identify threat and assess treatment efficacy.
Easy to use collection kits, post-paid return, same day testing and results, mean it couldnโt be simpler to run a targeted worming programme for your horse. Test kits can be bought individually or as season packs so you have all you need for a year of testing. Discounts for multiple horses, commercial rates for yards of 10 or more. Alternatively choose our new All Seasons subscription service to really put the peace of mind into your horseโs parasite control.
Get started today to get the front foot with parasite control and help beat drug resistance! Our
