Instructions
Check with your veterinarian about which inoculations your horse should receive. Ask him to explain the scheduling of inoculations. Horses require regular boosters, and if they're not given in time, it may be necessary to start a course over to provide adequate protection.
Check that your horse is inoculated to Fédération Equestre Internationale (FEI) standards if you're competing in governed competitions; it's essential that your horse is fully inoculated against equine influenza.
Ensure your vet gives your horse two initial equine influenza vaccinations between 21 and 92 days apart. Give a third vaccination within six months and 21 days after the second injection. Following this, your horse must receive a booster within 365 days of the last injection every year to remain up-to-date. Start your horse's course when it's three months old.
Ensure your horse is inoculated against tetanus. Give the first injection at three months old, followed by a second one four weeks later. After a year, give your horse a booster, followed up every two years with additional boosters. If your horse is badly cut or injured, it's likely your vet will give it another injection to ensure it's adequately protected.
Check whether your location and circumstances require your horse to be inoculated against the following diseases:
Eastern and Western Sleeping Sickness
Rabies
Rhinopneumonitis
Strangles
Potomac Horse Fever
Rhonopnemonitis
Equine Viral Arteritis (particularly for breeding stock)
African Horse Sickness
Start all inoculations when your horse is a foal, if possible, usually when it's aged three months. Before this age, antibodies within the mare's milk provide protection.
How to Inoculate Your Horse
Giving your horse regular inoculations is an important part of its health regime. Horses are prone to various diseases and protecting your horse from contracting them can save you heartache and money, as well as help prevent pandemics. Horses living in different countries are prone to different diseases; each country has a recommended schedule of inoculations based on the conditions prevalent in each.