Fall Vaccinations for At-Risk Horses

Vaccinations are essential for all horses, but they are particularly crucial for those traveling off their home properties—often referred to as “at-risk horses.” Travel exposes these horses to potential diseases that could be life-threatening. Keeping up with vaccination appointments through your veterinarian can provide essential protection and reduce the severity of any disease if your horse is exposed.

Routine Fall Vaccinations For “At-Risk” Horses
As the fall riding season kicks off, many horse owners are traveling across the country. Before making any travel plans, it’s crucial for owners to review their horses’ health records to determine which vaccinations are necessary for safe travel. Even horses that stay at home—often referred to as recreational horses—should still receive core vaccinations if your veterinarian recommends fall vaccines. These core vaccines protect against diseases endemic to specific regions, highly contagious infections, and potential public health hazards. According to federal law, the American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP) mandates that all horses nationwide receive the following core vaccinations:

• Rabies
• Eastern/Western Equine Encephalitis
• West Nile Virus
• Tetanus

While these core vaccinations can be administered at any time of the year, maintaining a consistent vaccination schedule is generally recommended to avoid confusion.

For horses that travel, additional vaccinations are strongly encouraged and sometimes required. These “risk-based” vaccinations depend on the likelihood of exposure, which can be influenced by factors such as anticipated contact, environmental conditions, age, breed, sex, intended use, and geographic location. Key risk-based vaccinations include:

• Equine Influenza (EIV): For horses at ongoing risk of exposure, administer EIV every six months. Horses with low exposure risk require annual revaccination.
• Equine herpesvirus types 1 and 4 (rhinopneumonitis): This vaccine is essential for broodmares and should be given at 5, 7, and 9 months of gestation to prevent abortion. It’s also recommended for all horses at breeding facilities, those in contact with pregnant mares, and performance horses.
• Potomac Horse Fever: Highly recommended for horses residing in or traveling near the Mid-Atlantic region.
• Anthrax
• Strangles
• Equine Viral Atheritis
• Botulism
• Rotaviral diarrhea
• Leptospirosis
• Venezuelan equine encephalitis (VEE): Recommended for horses traveling near Southern Texas, California, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and the west coast of Florida.
• Snake bites

By prioritizing these vaccinations, horse owners can help ensure the health and safety of their equine companions during travel and beyond.

Vaccinations are usually given in a multi-series dosage, two to three, for horses under one year old or if the horse is lacking a vaccination history record. Horses over one year old or who have been previously vaccinated need an annual revaccination. 

Again, health records are crucial to make sure your horse is protected and up to date on all vaccinations. The vaccination column should be the most detailed since equine vaccinations are critical from an environmental health standpoint. The vaccination column should include:  

• Name of vaccination
• Veterinarian who gave the vaccine
• Date of vaccination
• Vaccine dosage
• Where on the horse the vaccine was administered 
• Vaccination expiration date
• Vaccinations serial number (important in the event of a recall)

For more information about all vaccinations, please consult the AAEP vaccination chart in the QR code on the following page, or visit: https://aaep.org/wpcontent/uploads/2024/02/Adult_Horse_Vaccine_Chart_2023_SUB.pdf

Additional Preventative Pratice and Recommendations
Vaccinations are an important step in maximizing your horses’ health but there are additional steps owners can do to minimize the spread of diseases, especially with traveling horses. These preventative steps can include: 

Having separate equipment (horse and human) specifically labeled just for traveling and kept separate from “home-body” equipment. 

For humans, have “travel-only” boots and clothes. Wash and disinfect before and after you travel. 

Disinfecting ALL equipment (tack, feeding equipment, water buckets, halters, lead ropes, cleaning tools, inside of truck and trailer) BEFORE and AFTER traveling to the event.  

Monitor your horses’ health. If symptoms of illness appear be proactive and start by taking rectal temperatures, monitoring any nasal discharge, grain and water intake while you are traveling. Record all observations and measurements. Your record can not only help attending veterinarians, but other horse owners if their horses start displaying signs of illness as well.

If possible and necessary, install foot baths at all entrances of the barn and/or have people wear plastic boot coverings. At minimum, have a bucket of warm water with bleach and a cleaning brush for people to clean their boots before and after they come into the barn. Change the water frequently. 

If you suspect your horse has come into contact with a contagious disease, immediately quarantine that horse for minimum 14 days and contact your veterinarian. Please work with your veterinarian to develop the best vaccination health care plan to ensure your horses are well protected even before you travel. This way, a plan is in place in the event your horse has been exposed. If you have any questions about fall vaccinations, please contact your equine veterinarian and your county’s Extension office.

Kyla Szemplinski, MS is an Extension Agent I and 4-H Agricenter Youth Development for UT TSU Shelby County Extension. She serves Shelby County, Tennessee equine community, and can be contacted at the Shelby County office at 901-752-1207 during normal business hours Monday-Friday 8am-4:30pm CST.