Title: Equine Preventative Healthcare
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Vaccinations
Annual tetanus and strangles vaccinations are recommended to prevent these two common and debilitating diseases. These are
given into the muscle via an injection, and can be purchased from the clinic for you to inject yourself, or they can be given by your
veterinarian at most visits. Horses which have not previously been vaccinated (e.g. foals, or horses with an unknown vaccination
history) require an initial course of three boosters prior to continuing with annual injections.
Regular Health Checks
Regular health checks are important for all types of horses, regardless of their activity level. This allows any potential problems to be
identified early and more easily treated, and also gives you a chance to ask your veterinarian about any health concerns you may
have. These visits can often be combined with your horse's dental treatment plan and are a great time for vaccinations to be
performed.
In older horses, we also recommend regular blood profiles, as these horses are more prone to problems and once again early
detection allows easier management.
Parasite Control
Parasite control is imperative for all horses, large or small. This is important for the health and wellbeing of your horses and also
optimises their use of feed, making your feed bill as small as possible. Good parasite control can usually be achieved with the
regular use of oral pastes, and it is important to rotate the class of active ingredient used annually (i.e. swap from "-mectins" to "zoles") to prevent worms becoming resistant to the products used. The time between treatments varies depending on the paddock
conditions, but every 12 weeks is a good starting point. Parasite control can also be improved by spreading or picking up manure to
reduce the amount of worm eggs surviving in the paddock.
The efficacy of your worming programme can easily be tested at the clinic by using a faecal sample from your horse. The resultant
"faecal egg count" (FEC) can be used to guide future worming treatments and assess the success of previous ones.
Microchipping
We recommend that all horses are microchipped - this involves the implantation of a small chip in the crest (upper neck), which can
usually be done without sedation. This provides a permanent and definite form of identification in the case of a stolen or stray horse,
and is well worth the small once-off cost of having this procedure done.
Dental Care
Dental care is an easily missed part of the preventative care of any horse, as the old saying "out of sight, out of mind" usually
applies! Regular dental care is important to allow you horse to chew effectively, and can work with your worming programme to
optimise your horse's use of feed. Horses in work can benefit greatly from good dental care, as even minor dental problems can
severely impact on your horse's acceptance of the bit, head carriage, and overall performance. The average horse requires a dental
check and treatment annually, while horses less than 5 years of age or greater than 15 years of age require checks every 6 months.
Performance horses also require checks every 6 months to ensure they are always at their peak.
Manipulation and Musculoskeletal Health
Working horses are best though of as equine athletes, and just like human athletes they require regular care to keep them at peak
performance. This consists of both good veterinary care and manipulation to maximise the health of their bones, muscles, and
joints. Your veterinarian may recommend joint protectants and controlled exercise plans to prevent injury and to treat it when it
occurs. Manipulation also plays an important role in ensuring that your horse's muscles and joints are as flexible and comfortable as
possible. Most horses will require a manipulation every 6-12 months for maintenance, while some may have more specific problems
and require more frequent treatment.
Horse Insurance
Insurance for horses is now readily available and is becomming more and more popular. Depending on the policy selected, this can
assist in covering the cost of unexpected illness and injury, the death of your beloved horse, or loss of use through ongoing illness or
injury. A variety of policies are available, for more information simply ask at the clinic.
If your horse is insured, it is important to notify your veterinarian of this at any visit, as your insurance policy may affect the required
treatment plan, or require the company to be notified prior to certain procedures being performed.