Protect Horses From Tick-borne Illnesses

As part of my senior year in high school, I am doing a market research internship at Pure Solutions that takes my education out of the classroom to experience the working world first hand. My horse, Petunia, was diagnosed with Lyme earlier this year.

As a horse lover, I am trying to learn as much as I can about ticks, Lyme disease, and how to prevent it so other horses don’t have to experience what she did. The whole experience is tough on not only the horse, but the owner as well. I’ve learned of some great tips about preventing tick bites for the both of us, like how and when to do an effective tick check (included below).

I’ve also learned that about 50% of adult blacklegged ticks carry the Lyme disease bacterium. Since the northeast has a very high population of Lyme disease carrying ticks, prevention is crucial to protect you and your horses against Lyme.

 

Perform a Tick Check on Your Horse Daily

Tick checks are a highly effective way to locate a tick that has, or is ready to, bite you or your horse for a blood-meal. Performing tick checks can drastically reduce the risk of contracting Lyme disease and other diseases as ticks need about 24 hours to infect the host.

For your horse, it is important to check along their legs, under the tail and belly, around the ears, and near their stifle. These are the common areas for tick bites on horses.

 

I hope everyone has a great, tick-free season!