All horses are at risk from summer-loving parasites. Whatever your climate and wherever your horse resides–from stalls to pastures or dry lots–these parasites thrive during summer months. Here’s how some of these parasites can infect your horse, what damage they do, and how to best control them.

Bots (Gasterophilus spp.): Female bot flies lay eggs on the horse’s hair. The eggs are stimulated to emerge by the horse’s licking or biting and, within five days of being deposited by the female, develop into larvae. Subsequently, the larvae make their way into the horse’s mouth. Once inside the horse’s mouth they bury themselves in the tongue, gums, or lining of the mouth. During this stage, the horse could experience severe irritation, pus pocket development and loosened teeth; loss of appetite can also develop at this stage.

After about a month in the mouth, the larvae molt to the second stage and move into the stomach. The second and later third stage larvae typically attach to the lining of the stomach and the intestinal tract. They cause irritation and can block the opening to the small intestine as well as interfere with digestion; chronic gastritis, ulcers, colic and other conditions can result