Risk-based Vaccines: Does Your Horse Need Them?

What riskbased vaccines are available? 
There are currently nine riskbased vaccines available for horses
Equine influenza
Equine herpesvirus rhinopneumonitis
Strangles
Equine viral arteritis
Leptospirosis
Botulism
Anthrax
Potomac horse fever
Rotaviral diarrhea
Snake bite
Since riskbased vaccines are only given to horses at higher risk it is possible your horse may not need any of these vaccines. Or it may benefit from a few of them! It depends on the horse.
For example if you share with your veterinarian that you plan to attend a lot of horse shows over the next six months they may recommend the equine influenza equine herpesvirus and strangles vaccines since these diseases often spread at events. Similarly your veterinarian may tell you that your horse needs the anthrax vaccine if you live in an area where spores are known to thrive in the soil. Pregnant mares during specific months of pregnancy are advised to get certain riskbased vaccines. Each horse is a unique situation when it comes to determining which riskbased vaccines to give!

Risk for contracting a disease is not always well known or easy to assess so your veterinarians expertise is needed. Only give your horse the riskbased vaccines they need. Extra vaccinations can be costly and cause unnecessary stress to your horse.
How does my vet determine which ones my horse should get?

Your veterinarian will perform a riskbenefit analysis to determine if your horse should receive a particular riskbased vaccine. A riskbenefit analysis looks at known risk factors and the benefits of vaccination to determine if giving the vaccination is the best option for that horse. Many factors are considered during this analysis and your veterinarian may ask you a lot of questions. Common questions during a riskbenefit analysis include

Is the horse located in an area where a particular disease is common?
Does the farm have new horses coming on the farm regularly that may be carrying diseases?
Do
some of the horses on the farm travel regularly?
Will the horse be traveling to other locationsstates? Will the horse be in an area where a disease is prominent?
Is the horse competing at shows?
Will the horse be interacting with other horses? Particularly with those from different farms
How old is the horse? Is the under 2? Is the horse geriatric over 20? Note If the horse is a foal or weanling there are specific guidelines for both core and riskbased vaccines that can be found on the AAEP website.
Is the horse in good health? Is it immunocompromised?
Will this horse be used for
breeding or is it currently in foal pregnant?
If the answer is yes to any of these questions your veterinarian may suggest one or more riskbased vaccines. Your veterinarian may also have additional questions for you to consider based on current known information about diseases in your area.
Conclusion
Riskbased vaccines are important to consider when developing your vaccination program. It can be hard to identify which ones your horse should receive but with the help of your veterinarian you can determine which vaccines to give and when they should be given.