[quote ExtraordinaryQuince]@DinoHat What sort of a worm problem? Do people not worm horses these days?
Also, a general question - has horse behaviour management changed in the same way as dog management? My horsey/country relatives were all about showing a dog who was boss (some of them still are, actually 
) and kicking a horse on/using a stick if necessary.
Nowadays positive reinforcement is recommended by newer dog trainers and from one horse guy I follow on Facebook, am I right in thinking that that is the case with horses too?[/quote]
IME, worming has moved from worming 4 times a year, using alternating wormers for different worms and to prevent resistance building up, to doing a worm count and worming on the results of that if at all.
Last worm count for ours was recommended that they didn't need treatment, but as pp says, I have had positive counts back and the vet has indicated which wormer to use, because other people didn't worm, or horses came that hadn't been wormed and increased the count among the herd.
As for changes in management, in the nearly 40 years I've been around horses, so much has changed. Some of it very, very positive. We weren't so concerned with things like saddle fitting, or routine dentistry 'back in the day', that was for competition horses.
Feeding was a completely different thing too, I remember learning the golden rules of feeding, there were about 6 and they were just common sense really! Feed supplements weren't a thing either unless your vet told you to, there weren't really mixes but rather straights that you mixed together yourself, in the quantities you needed depending on what your horses needs were, now you can get an array of feed that is pre mixed for just about any requirement.
Rugs came in 3 types, a 'New Zealand' which was for the field, weighed around 3 tonnes, was basically a wax jacket for horses, a jute rug which was for indoors, and if your horse needed extra warmth, your parents old duvets/blankets folded in a certain way underneath either of the above. The different types of rug available now is mind boggling!
Both of the above have made positive changes to horse welfare, but also negative ones, the vets near us are usually warning about equine obesity, and the dangers of over rugging horses, the two are very closely linked because of how a horses system works, and I can't tell you the amount of horses I've seen stuffed full of the wrong food, not turned out enough and display unwanted behaviour which the owner then spends a fortune on supplements and 'specialist' training to combat, when cutting out feed and giving turn out, herd company, building a bond and consistent work would have changed things a lot faster and with spending less money!
When it comes to handling and riding, there's so many different styles, and I think the really good thing about that is all horses are individuals and will respond differently.
'Old' ways could be cruel in some ways, and many people now prefer the words starting and training to breaking in, and youngsters are often left longer, have more time spent on them and the methods are gentler when starting them.
However there's the other end of the scale where people don't instill respect in their horses or insist on manners, and that can be dangerous. Horses need to trust you, because there will always be something they fear more than you, and repeatedly scaring or hurting a horse won't achieve that. In order to be safe, they need a leader, and they're not daft, they know we're not horses, but they do need boundaries, it's more or less about making the horse see that what you're asking isn't dangerous to him, getting him to trust you enough so he'll try, and taking the pressure off once you've achieved something. Sometimes you have to be firm, especially with adolescent horses that are naturally testing boundaries, things like biting, barging and not walking properly in a headcollar can be really dangerous if not dealt with.
Whips and spurs should be used as an extension of our bodies and not as punishments. Kicking pretty much teaches a horse to ignore you eventually, or gets you into trouble on a sensitive horse. My horse was a lazy git, but if I'd ever kicked him in the ribs, he'd have launched me into outer space.
My whip was an extension of my arm, to touch places on him I couldn't reach to encourage him to go forward, or to refine an instruction. My leg pressed into his side was the spoken instruction, a tickle or tap with the whip, raising my voice. On the lunge the lunge whip (like a circus ring master's whip) is an extension of my arm, you can tickle around hocks to get attention back to you, or flick the tail, but should never hit a horse with one, if you know how, cracking them against themselves is also a way of getting the horses attention back on you rather than eyeing up the cone in the corner as a date .
Spurs are further refinement, touching a specific spot on the horse without moving your lower leg around too much.
I have hit my horse about 3 times in 15 years with a whip, rather than tapped or tickled, and it was because I needed his attention on me NOW! Because we were in a dangerous situation and I needed him to listen immediately, I didn't have time to 'talk him around' as it were. I didn't like doing it, but in all honesty with most whips that are flat edged, it's more about the noise and the shock of touch than any pain inflicted.
Again when used properly and not abused, whips and spurs are an aid to training, and not a punishment. A light touch with a whip or spur is far preferable to a hefty boot in the ribs over and over.
Horses are very sensitive, they can twitch a piece of skin at will to dislodge a fly they have felt land, they don't really need heavy handed tactics to feel things.
As with everything, there's good and bad, the above is my personal take on it, a mixture of everything I've learned over the years put into practice, my approach worked with this horse, it might not with another.
Everyone will have a different way of thinking and doing things.