Vaccinating your horse

This guide is for adult horses that have been previously vaccinated. Booster vaccines are ideally given annually in the spring before the mosquitoes emerge. Always consult with your veterinarian to set up a vaccination schedule for your horse.

West Nile

Vaccinate for West Nile each year. Your horse may need a booster if the mosquito populations are high.

Eastern and western equine encephalomyelitis

Vaccinate for eastern and western encephalomyelitis each year. Your horse may need a booster if the mosquito populations are high.

Tetanus

Vaccinate for tetanus each year. Your horse may need a booster if they sustains an injury more than 6 months after their last booster. Your veterinarian may give your horse a dose of tetanus antitoxin and a tetanus toxoid if you don’t know your horse’s vaccination history at the time of injury.

Rabies

Vaccinate for rabies each year.  

Vaccines for traveling horses

Your veterinarian may recommend additional vaccines for your horse. This will depend on your horse’s risk of exposure to other diseases (traveling, showing etc). Thus, be sure to discuss the following with your veterinarian:

• What you plan to do with your horse for the year

• The degree of traffic on the farm where your horse lives

When discussing diseases, make sure to include:

• Influenza

• Rhinopneumonitis (herpes 1 and 4)

• Strangles

• Equine viral arteritis (EVA)

Show venues or racetracks may require your horse to have specific vaccinations to participate.

Vaccines for pregnant mares

Additional vaccines can reduce the risks of abortion and boost the mare’s immunity during pregnancy. Remember, a mares immunity transfers to the foal via colostrum. An example of a common practice for a mare in an open herd includes:

1. Vaccinating against equine herpesvirus-1 abortion at 5, 7 and 9 months of gestation

2. Timing her spring vaccinations for 4 to 6 weeks before her due date

Intranasal vaccination (e.g. influenza, strangles) doesn’t provide strong immunity to a newborn foal via colostrum. Consider switching to intramuscular vaccines for broodmares.

Vaccines for breeding stallions

Breeding stallions are candidates for vaccination against equine viral arteritis. Test your stallion for the disease before you vaccinate them for the first time.

Vaccines for foals

It’s hard to vaccinate foals because their immunity from the colostrum may block the effects of vaccines given before weaning. Thus, most tend to vaccinate foals after 6 months of age if the risk of disease is low.

Studies on foals suggest an initial series of 3 vaccines reaps the highest measurable protection. But annual boosters should start at one year of age.

Vaccines against less common disease

In some regions, the risk of a less common disease may be great enough to warrant additional vaccines, such as:

• Potomac Horse fever

• Leptospirosis

• Anthrax

Your veterinarian can decide if your horse needs any of these vaccines.

• Only select vaccines your horse needs. All vaccines have the potential to cause bad reactions.  

• Individualize your vaccination schedule. Length of immunity and likelihood of reactions vary between horses and products.

• Store vaccines properly until you use them.

• Have good hygiene when mixing and giving vaccines.

• Record lot numbers and expiration dates. Make sure to include any unexpected reactions even if the vaccine wasn’t given by a veterinarian.