Risk-based Vaccines: Does Your Horse Need Them?

Creating and implementing vaccination programs is one way horse owners can help keep their horses healthy. Vaccines allow the horse’s body to develop antibodies for specific diseases to reduce the risk of contracting the disease or reduce the severity of the disease. There are many equine vaccines available, but determining which ones your horse might need can be challenging, as one vaccination plan does not work for all horses. In fact, many factors influence which vaccines your horse should receive, including where it lives, what you do with it, and its current age and health status. Vaccine programs for horses must be individualized and may change throughout the horse’s life.

There are two main categories of equine vaccines as defined by the American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP) – core vaccines and risk-based vaccines. All adult horses should receive the core vaccines, no matter where the horse lives in the United States or what the horse is used for. These vaccines are given once or twice annually depending on the disease the vaccination is for. Keep in mind that there are recommendations on what time of year these core vaccines should be given, as some diseases are more prevalent during certain seasons when biting insects are out.

Deciding which risk-based vaccines your horse should receive is a bit more complex. Risk-based vaccines are only given to horses that have a higher risk of being impacted by a specific disease. Risk for a certain disease depends on how the disease is transmitted, how it affects the horse, and the horse’s chance of contracting it. The horse may be at a higher risk of getting the disease based on its location, health status, age, and use. Determining “risk” can be difficult, as it requires a lot of knowledge about the disease itself and can vary case-by-case. This is why you should work with your veterinarian when deciding which ones your horse should receive

What risk-based vaccines are available? 

There are currently nine risk-based vaccines available for horses:

• Equine influenza
• Equine herpesvirus (rhinopneumonitis)
• Strangles
• Equine viral arteritis
• Leptospirosis
• Botulism
• Anthrax
• Potomac horse fever
• Rotaviral diarrhea
• Snake bite