Understanding Your Horse’s Vaccination Program

From my feed room in North Salem, New York, I am sensing the summer is coming to an end. There are a few bits of red in the trees, the days are noticeably cooler, and some horses are starting to “shed” their summer coats. As the seasons change, another thing to add to your to-do list is scheduling fall vaccinations. Vaccinations are traditionally done in spring and fall, so this is the time to check your show schedule and work with your veterinarian to make sure all horses are kept up to date. 

There is a lot to navigate when planning your horse’s vaccinations around a busy show and travel schedule, but it is possible if you plan ahead.

The American Association of Equine Practitioners

The American Association of Equine Practitioners or AAEP has divided equine vaccinations into two categories, core and risk-based. Core vaccinations are for all horses regardless of where they live or what they do.

Do You Know What The Core Vaccinations Are? 

Take a minute and try to name them….. 🤔

The Core Vaccinations on the AAEP List are: 

• Eastern & Western Equine Encephalomyelitis 
• Rabies
• Tetanus
• West Nile Virus

How many did you get right?

The Second Category is Risk-Based. 

How would you define that? 🤔

The risk-based vaccinations on the AAEP list are: 

• Anthrax
• Botulism
• Equine Herpes Virus (Rhinopneumonitis) 
• Equine Influenza
• Equine Viral Arteritis (EVA)
• Leptospirosis
• Rotaviral Diarrhea
• Potomac Horse Fever
• Snake Bite
• Strangles
• Venezuelan Equine Encephalomyelitis

Risk-based can depend on many things. Where do you live? Are your horses exposed to other horses through travel? Are there outbreaks in your area? Basically, some horses are at a higher RISK of getting some diseases than others.

USEF v. FEI

It is important to understand that the USEF and FEI each have their own vaccination requirements. 

The USEF has rule GR844, linked here.

The USEF requires all horses entering a Federation-Licensed Competition to be vaccinated for equine influenza and rhinopneumonitis (EHV-1 and EHV-4) within 6 months of arriving on the show grounds. This has to be documented. They also note: “Vaccinating the day prior to a show to ensure compliance is highly discouraged as the efficacy of the vaccine has yet to come into effect and is considered poor horsemanship.” 

The FEI requires all horses to be vaccinated against equine influenza in order to compete at FEI events. The vaccination must be recorded in your horse’s FEI passport. The vaccination must be within 6 months (plus a 21-day grace period) of a previous booster vaccination. The FEI differs from the USEF and does not allow horses to compete if they have been vaccinated within the last 7 days. 

Vaccinations in Different Parts of the U.S.

I thought it would be interesting to reach out to people I know in different areas of the country, with different situations, large barns and small, to see what their vaccination program is.

Johanna in Louisiana

Johanna in Louisiana has one horse she keeps at home. Her neighbor has 10 horses, and they can sometimes touch noses with her horse. She often trailers her horse to different places to ride with others. She said the mosquitoes are BAD in her area, and some years they don’t even go away in the “winter “ they get.

Johanna’s vaccination program is: 

Yearly

• Rabies
• Flu/Rhino
• EWT (Eastern, Western, Tetanus)
• West Nile

If the horses are showing, Johanna does a second Flu/Rhino vaccination in the fall.

Elle in Nevada

Elle is the barn manager for Maplewood Stables in Reno, NV. They have 57 horses on the property. Some are young horses that stay at home, and some are show horses that often travel to Arizona and California. It’s not unusual for outside horses to ship in for lessons or clinics.

Elle’s vaccination program is:

Spring

• EWT (Eastern, Western, Tetanus) West Nile
• Flu/Rhino
• Rabies

Fall

• Flu/Rhino

Maplewood’s veterinarian, Chrysann Collatos of High Desert Equine, told me that she has very strong criteria when she sets up her vaccination programs. In the area she covers, she has clients with very different needs. With each client, she has to consider cost and vaccine efficacy/safety vs. the risk of getting the disease.

Denise in Vermont

Denise lives in the Northeast Kingdom in Vermont (think remote) and has two rescue horses on her small farm. They only leave the property to go on trail rides and do not come in contact with other horses.

Denise’s vaccination program:

Spring

• Rabies
• West Nile
• Potomac Horse Fever
• EWT (Eastern Western Tetanus)

Denise explained: “I split them up, so they don’t get sore necks and too many vaccinations at once. My vet uses Eastern/Western Encephalitis and Tetanus as a combination vaccine. All the others are individual, so rather than give all four vaccines in one day, we split them up into two one day and two another, about one week apart.”

Lake Erie College in Ohio

Lake Erie College in Ohio has 63 horses at the moment. Some horses in their program don’t travel but many do for shows and intercollegiate competitions. The college also hosts events at its home facility.

Lake Erie College’s vaccination program:

March

• Prestige 5 (A combination of these 5 vaccines: Flu, Rhino, EWT, West Nile, Rabies)

October

• Flu/Rhino

Mary Pardee, Director of Riding, added: “We do a mandatory two-week quarantine for any horse entering the property, along with twice daily temps. This is even if they leave for a show and come back.”

It is important to work with your vet to create the best plan for your horses. I recommend keeping good records, whether it’s a binder or an online app. With show horses, keeping your horses up to date with their vaccinations can be challenging, especially with a busy show schedule. You have to be organized, plan ahead, and make it a priority.

If you want to learn more about vaccinations for your horse, go to the Vaccination Guidelines of the AAEP.

Have questions? Drop them below in the comments!

Find another extensive HorseGrooms article on international and European vaccination requirements here.