Vaccinations

Vaccinations

Vaccinations protect your horse from serious and preventable diseases. Whether your horse competes, breeds, or stays at home, our equine vets can tailor a vaccination plan to keep them safe, healthy, and compliant with the latest evidence and regulations.

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🩺 Equine Influenza (Flu)

Equine influenza is a highly infectious respiratory disease spread through the air – meaning that even horses that never leave the yard can be at risk. Vaccination significantly reduces illness and limits the spread of infection.

Symptoms in unvaccinated horses can include fever, coughing, nasal discharge, and a loss of performance. The symptoms can last up to 6 weeks. Competing horses are particularly at risk, and most organisations require proof of up-to-date vaccination.

⚠️ If your horse’s booster is even one day overdue, the primary course must be restarted.

💉 Primary Vaccination Schedule (BHA guidance):

• Vaccine 1: Day 0

• Vaccine 2: 21–60 days later

• Vaccine 3: 120–180 days later

• Boosters: Every 365 days, with competition horses receiving a booster every 6 months

We will continue to update our advice in line with BEF, FEI, and other governing body regulations as they are confirmed.

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💀 Tetanus

Tetanus (lockjaw) is a fatal disease caused by bacteria found in soil, entering the body through even tiny wounds. Every horse is at risk, but the disease is entirely preventable with vaccination.

📅 Vaccination schedule:

• Primary course: 2 injections, 4–6 weeks apart

• Booster: Every 2 years thereafter

This simple vaccine provides life-saving protection and should be part of every horse’s core healthcare routine. This vaccination is routinely combined with the flu vaccine discussed above.

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😷 Strangles

Strangles remains one of the most common and distressing equine diseases in the UK, causing fever, nasal discharge, and painful abscesses. It can also lead to long-term carrier horses that continue spreading infection silently. Unfortunately, 10% of horses affected by strangles can succumb to more complicated, and long term effects of the disease. In some cases, it can be fatal.

In January 2025, new research brought exciting updates to how we manage and prevent strangles. Vaccination is now strongly recommended for most horses – not just those that travel to competitions.

💉 Recommended for:

🦄 Yards receiving new horses regularly

🐴 Riding schools, competition centres, and busy liveries

👶 Premises with foals and young horses

💰 Yards or businesses where disease could impact operations

🎠 Horses attending clinics, training, or amateur competitions

😷 Yards with limited biosecurity

📅 Vaccination schedule:

• 2 injections, 4 weeks apart

• Boosters every 6–12 months, depending on risk which would be discussed with you.

This modern strangles vaccine is safe and well tolerated – we’ve vaccinated many horses with minimal side effects, similar to those experienced with flu and tetanus vaccinations.

It can also be used during an outbreak to help reduce spread. Contact us for tailored advice.

For a useful information guide on the vaccination and strangles itself, please click here.

📚 You can read the latest research paper here

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🐴 Equine Herpes Virus (EHV)

EHV can cause respiratory illness, neurological disease, and abortion in pregnant mares. Vaccination is especially important for broodmares and competition horses that mix with others.

👩‍🍼 Broodmares

Vaccination at 5, 7, and 9 months of gestation helps prevent EHV-related abortion – essential protection in breeding herds, where outbreaks can cause devastating “abortion storms.” It is still an important vaccination to protect individual broodmares too, especially ones that live with competition horses.

🏇 Competition horses

EHV vaccination helps protect against the respiratory forms of the virus and is recommended for horses that travel or compete regularly.

• Primary course: 2 injections, 4–6 weeks apart

• Booster: Every 6 months

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❤️ Health Plan Members

If your horse is part of our Equine Health Plan, you can relax knowing we’ll:

• Discuss your horse’s health care regularly with you

• Send courtesy reminders for boosters

• Tailor recommendations to your horse’s individual lifestyle and risk

• Discount additional vaccinations by 10% (EHV, Strangles)

We take the guesswork out of vaccination planning, keeping your horse fully protected and compliant with the latest veterinary guidance.