04/14/2025
I’ve already picked two ticks off of Missy! Which means we’re already into Lyme/Anaplasmosis season! Keep an eye out for the creepy crawlies, but even more important, know your horse’s normal, so you know when they’re not quite right and might be affected by Lyme or Anaplasmosis!
WARMER WEATHER = TICK SEASON! 📢
As the weather warms up, ticks are becoming more active — which clearly means more chances for your horses (or yourself and your family pets) to encounter this parasite. Despite their diminutive size and appearance, ticks are highly equipped to carry and transmit many serious diseases including Equine Piroplasmosis, Lyme Disease, Equine Granulocytic Anaplasmosis (Ehrlichiosis) and Tick Paralysis, so tick control remains an important management practice for horse owners.
Because ticks infected with serious diseases do not usually transmit those pathogens immediately and often must feed for a period of time before disease transmission, removing them from your horse as soon as possible is important. Check your horses for ticks thoroughly after a ride, and at least daily if they’re out on pasture in order to prevent disease transmission.
From a pasture management perspective, you can decrease the number of ticks your horse may pick up by removing brush and mowing tall grass where ticks like to live and discouraging wildlife such as deer that tend to reintroduce ticks to grazing areas.
Additional facts about Lyme disease in horses is available on the�Equine Disease Communication Center's website at: https://www.equinediseasecc.org/lyme-disease
And as always, if you have questions on tick control or the diseases they can transmit to your horses, talk to your local horse doctor!
