Equine vaccination recommendations vary widely depending on environmental, horse, vaccine, and human factors. The diseases present locally and their prevalence, the horse's use, age, pregnancy status, local climate, will all figure in to what vaccines should be considered. Vaccine factors should be cost, effectiveness, and adverse reactions as some vaccines have high rates of fever, swelling, and soreness. Perhaps most important and least considered is what are your goals for vaccination. In short, recommendations should take into account the cost versus the benefit. Just as important in the prevention of infectious disease are good husbandry practices.

This is a companion article to Vaccines an Overview. In that article we explain how vaccines work and don't work, review the vaccines available, and link to the articles about the diseases for complete information on the disease and prevention. It helps answer some of the questions when you consider, "should I vaccinate for this disease". Reviewing the Overview article first will help you decide which vaccines to give, while this article will help you decide how to schedule them... ...more.

Disease prevention goes beyond just vaccinating your horse. Few horse vaccines are 100% effective and some don't prevent disease, just lessen the severity. However good management practices can prevent disease. Here are some important mangaement points:

• Maintain a clean, relaxed, and stable environment. It is best if horses of similar age, size, and reproductive status be kept together.
• Feed fresh, good quality forages and concentrates.
• Avoid contact with horses that have any symptoms of infectious disease or unknown health history. More flu and stranges has been caught at the communal water trough than any other place.
• Do not allow water to stand for anytime to avoid mosquitos and other insects to breed.
• Keep feeds well covered to discourage vermin.
• It is very important to quarantine any new arrivals for 3 weeks prior to introduction into the herd.
• Tetanus antitoxin (not to be confused with toxoid, the vaccination) should be avoided in any horse with a good vaccination history of tetanus.