[deltawave]

My two never leave and no one ever comes so I only do EEE/WEE once a year in the spring.

Rabies and tetanus can come visit your farm (tetanus spores are already there) with no travel required, and both can cause gruesome and horrific deaths. Please consider at LEAST vaccinating for tetanus--completely preventable--and rabies as well if it's even remotely prevalent in your area.

[BuddyRoo]

What is necessary/prudent varies with your location, your activities, and the barn's traffic IMHO.

When I lived in N TX for example, West Nile was a real problem and we were advised to vaccinate for that twice a year. When I lived in MI and had my horses on a farm I was leasing, no other horses, no travel, no visiting farrier as I did my own, I didn't worry about flu/rhino twice per year. But once I moved to a barn with haul in lessons, lots of people showing, etc, I did vaccinate for flu/rhino twice per year. Also vaccinated for PHF. (My horse got PHF anyway, but much more mildly than she likely would've without)

[deltawave]

What is necessary/prudent varies with your location, your activities, and the barn's traffic IMHO.

I absolutely agree, but IMO *every* horse should have a tetanus and probably a rabies vaccine. Such horrible ways to die and in the case of rabies also transmissible to human handlers.

[2DogsFarm]

I have the vet out twice a year- Spring & Fall.

Vaccines vary depending on season - except for flu-rhino that is given on each visit.
Spring adds 3-way(EEE/EEW/tetanus), WNV & rabies (skunks are a vector in my area)
Fall is PHF

Coggins are done 1X annually as they expire.
We don't get off the farm much, but I like to be ready if we do.

[BuddyRoo]

I think that another thing folks who really don't haul out should consider is who they have coming to their property. Several of the diseases can be transmitted by a vet or a farrier or a friend with horses. So even if you don't take your own horses off the property, it's often wise to vaccinate for certain things that can be transmitted by bodily fluids and such.

I always scheduled my farrier or vet for the first appt of the day for this reason. I wanted my critters to be as safe as possible.

And when I was trimming for others, I made sure to go home and wash up BEFORE heading to see my horses.

[JB]

My two never leave and no one ever comes so I only do EEE/WEE once a year in the spring.

I absolutely agree, but IMO *every* horse should have a tetanus and probably a rabies vaccine. Such horrible ways to die and in the case of rabies also transmissible to human handlers.

This.

Rabies absolutely exists in WA. It may not be rampant, it's not as much as here in NC, but dang, it WILL kill the horse, and any other exposed animals or people will have to undergo quarantine (if not vaccinated) or $$ shots, respectively.
http://www.doh.wa.gov/Portals/1/Docu...atsWA_2012.pdf

Horses are very susceptible to rabies because of how they live. You never know when they will sustain a little puncture and have infection come in from the soil. It's simply not worth it to not vaccinate for either of those.

[poltroon]

This is really regional. My vets suggest once a year for my county, but even just one county south (Sonoma), vets are advising for example WNV twice a year. The difference is that we have harder and earlier freezes.

My horses travel some, but not a whole lot, and mostly during the summer.

Interestingly, when I boarded in southern California, I asked about rabies many times, and the vets were adamant that it wasn't needed, that they would give it if I really wanted, but not happily. In Northern California, it's routine - but here the horses live out amongst the wildlife.

[Crackerdog]

Rabies and tetanus can come visit your farm (tetanus spores are already there) with no travel required, and both can cause gruesome and horrific deaths. Please consider at LEAST vaccinating for tetanus--completely preventable--and rabies as well if it's even remotely prevalent in your area.

Oops, sorry, I do vaccinate for tetanus. It was early when I posted. Rabies isn't a problem here typically and with my vet's permission, we skip it.

[deltawave]

Thanks for clarifying and not being offended by the unsolicited smackdown.

[yellowbritches]

I vaccinate for flu every 6 months to stay in the habit for FEI passports (my horse doesn't have one yet, but it sucks when you forget after you DO have one), and because he does show and travel a lot. Other things it depends (I'd have to look...I get confused with all the abbreviations). I used to do PHF twice a year, but my vet does not recommend it here (I used to be just down the road from where the first cases where found). I'm skeptical.

[Foxtrot's]

The younger the horse, the more shots, per vet's advice (DW -always tetanus 1x!)

Gave up giving West Nile for now, until there is an immediate danger in this area.

[pony baloney]

We do all shots in the spring, divided into two visits. I do all but strangles and flu/rhino. Botulism and Potomac have been around my area and these are things we never vaccinated for years ago but do now.

I'd rather not vaccinate for rabies every year and would titer if it weren't so expensive. My horse is in his late 20s and I don't like to think of all the vaccines he's gotten in his long life....but perhaps that's why he's still here.

[deltawave]

I don't like to think of all the vaccines he's gotten in his long life....

Why not? They're like exercise and targeted training for the immune system. That's kind of like saying "I don't like to think of all those interval workouts we did"--using a body part the way it's MEANT to be used is a GOOD thing.