VACCINATION S Foals/Weanlings

Foals born to non-vaccinated mares: 1st dose: 3 to 4 months

2nd dose: 12 months

Vaccinated mares: 1st dose 6 mos., 2nd: 7 mos., 3rd: 12

First Dose: 5 to 6 months

Second Dose: 6 to 7 months.

Foal from vaccinated mare: 3-dose series of toxoid at 30-day intervals starting at 2 to 3 months of age.

Foal from non-vaccinated mare: see comments

Yearlings, Performance Horses & Pleasure Horses

Annual

Performance Pleasure Yearlings

SemiAnnual SemiAnnual SemiAnnual Consult your veterinarian

Consult your veterinarian

Consult your veterinarian

Broodmares Comments

Annual before breeding. Semi-Annual with 1 dose, 4 to 6 weeks prepartum.

Initial 3-dose series at 30-day intervals with last dose 4 to 6 weeks prepartum. Annual thereafter, 4 to 6 weeks prepartum.

Vaccination recommended in endemic areas. Do not use modified-live-virus in horses.

Booster during May to June in endemic areas.

Only in endemic areas. A 3rd dose administered 4 to 6 weeks after the 2nd dose may improve the response of foals to primary immunization. Foal from non-vaccinated mare may benefit from: 1) toxoid at 2, 4, and 8 weeks of age; 2) transfusion of plasma from vaccinated horse; or 3) antitoxin. Efficacy needs further study.

Intact colts intended to be breeding stallions: One dose at 6 to 12 months of age.

Little value to vaccinate foal because of insufficient time to develop antibodies to protect during susceptible age.

Annual for colts intended to be breeding stallions. Not applicable.

Annual for seronegative, open mares before breeding to carrier stallions; isolate mares for 21 days after breeding to carrier stallion.

Vaccinate mares at 8, 9 and 10 months of gestation, each pregnancy Passive transfer of colostral antibodies aid in prevention of rotaviral diarrhea in foals.

Annual for breeding stallions and teasers, 28 days before start of breeding season; virus may be shed in semen for up to 21 days.

Vaccinated mares do not develop clinical signs even though they become transiently infected and may shed virus for a short time. Check concentrations of immunoglobulins in foal to be assured that there is no failure of passive transfer

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As the days get longer, many horse owners and horse enthusiasts are eager to begin training for the show season or to get out on the trails. But before you load up your horse and haul them to a fun event, you should ask yourself, “Is my horse up to date on their vaccines?”

Why Vaccinate Your Horse?

Have you ever stopped to consider why we vaccinate our horses – or ourselves, or our dogs and cats? Vaccines are meant to create and maintain immunity against specific diseases. In other words, vaccines are meant to reduce an animal’s risk of getting sick, and if they do get sick after vaccination, then the severity of the disease should be lessened and they may be less contagious. The vaccine is usually a modified, weaker version of the disease you are trying to prevent. When the vaccine is given to your horse, their body creates antibodies to fight this “mock disease” and these antibodies will stay in the body for a period of time after the vaccination.

Now your horse is armed with a defense system ready to go if they do encounter the actual disease!

Vaccines are created for specific diseases for a few different reasons. A disease might have a high fatality rate, such as tetanus. Or a disease might be highly contagious and easily spread from horse to horse, such as influenza or strangles. Finally, a disease may have the possibility to spread across different species (these are called zoonotic diseases), such as West Nile Virus or rabies.

You should always consult with your veterinarian to develop a vaccine plan for your horse.

Again, ALL horses should receive the core vaccines (rabies, EEE/WEE, tetanus, and West Nile Virus). The risk-based vaccines will depend on if your horse travels, your geographic location, breeding status, and other considerations. Talk with your vet to determine your horse’s risk level for each disease; do not simply give your horse every vaccine available, since this could be costly and unnecessary