Horse Preventive Healthcare: Annual Schedule

Structured preventive healthcare maximizes horse welfare through early detection and protection against preventable disease. A systematic annual schedule ensures nothing is missed.

Key Facts

Core equine vaccinations include tetanus, equine influenza, and herpesvirus in most countries
Dental examination and floating should be performed at least annually — more frequently in horses with dental disease
Anthelmintic strategy should be informed by fecal egg counts rather than routine scheduled dosing
Annual ACTH testing for horses over 15 years detects PPID at a treatable stage
Farriery at 6-8 week intervals maintains hoof balance and prevents lameness from overgrown feet
Pre-breeding examination and reproductive management are important for breeding horses

Welfare Considerations

Preventive healthcare creates a welfare safety net that catches problems before they cause significant suffering. Annual examinations enable early detection of dental disease, cardiac murmurs, eye problems, and other conditions that progress if undetected. Vaccination prevents diseases that cause significant suffering and potential death. Systematic fecal egg monitoring prevents parasitic disease without contributing to anthelmintic resistance. Each element of a preventive healthcare schedule prevents a category of preventable welfare compromise.

What You Can Do

Establish an annual veterinary preventive care schedule and commit to keeping all appointments
Ensure core vaccinations are current and booster timing documented
Have dental examination and floating performed annually by an equine dental technician or vet
Implement targeted anthelmintic therapy based on fecal egg count results rather than routine scheduled dosing
Schedule farriery every 6-8 weeks to maintain optimal hoof balance
Discuss ACTH screening for older horses at annual veterinary visits