Flu jabs and livery yards

[Snowy Celandine]

My friend's horse had a bad reaction to his flu jab last year and she is dreading having to have it done again next month. We are on a BHS approved livery yard so I said I'd check on here to see if anyone knows if unvaccinated horses are allowed on BHS yards? She says she would rather move him than risk the vaccination again. All the other horses are vaccinated but my friend does take her horse off the yard sometimes to he could come into contact with other unvaccinated horses. Any ideas where she stands if she doesn't have him jabbed?

 

[galaxy]

I doubt it has anything to do with being a BHS yard, it is more a decision that needs to be made by your YO/YM. She needs to go and speak to them about it.

Does her vet think the horse is likely to have a reaction again? She may be limiting some of the places she can go compete as some places say they have to be vaccinated. Also most livery yards do insist on it, she may find it difficult to find many options. The yard I'm on isn't BHS, but all horses have to be vaccinated.

 

[loz9]

ditto the above re most yards requiring horse to be vaccinated. And I thought that it was necessary to have your horse against flu to compete? I may be wrong here as its a while since ive been out!

Also I believe it is more likely that the horse had a reaction to the carrier within the vaccination as opposed to the actual flu virus, so it may be worth trying a different brand of vaccination that has a different carrier.

 

[Snowy Celandine]

Thank you both. I thought that might be the case. She doesn't compete, just hires the local XC course a few times a year (along with a few friends) and goes for pleasure rides so her horse comes into contact with others at these times.

It was the vet who recommended that the jab is not repeated because the reaction was so bad She is going to ring the vet to discuss the possibility of using a different make of vaccine but I know she is really worried about it. The risk of flu is also a big worry, of course, and I do feel sorry for her because she loves this yard and her horse is really settled here. He came from a big competition yard which he hated and she's been really pleased with how well he's been going lately which she thinks is, in part, due to how chilled out he's become at this yard.

 

[Divasmum]

It is up to each individual yard what its rules are.

 

[Shay]

There are sometimes yard exceptions possible on vets reccommendation. But not in competition, travelling, camp etc. Lack of a vaccination can also affect insurance policies - even on vets reccommendation so do check that as well.

The first step has to be to speak to the YO.

 

[HollyB66]

Our horse wasn't vaccinated when we bought her and we mentioned this to the YO before she moved in. We had already booked with the vet to have the 3 courses to bring her up to date but were worried we wouldn't be allowed on the yard if she wasn't vaccinated.

The YO said it didn't matter as it was our horse at risk by not being vaccinated. So, I guess it varies from yard to yard.

 

[Jesstickle]

It is only advised on our yard. We all make our own decision (which is that we all have it done as it happens) but ultimately it's up to us. After all it's only your own horse at risk if you don't.

 

[Nari]

I think she really has to discuss it with her YO & say that the vet has advised not vaccinating again as he had such a bad reaction. If the YO is wavering it might be worth allowing them to speak to the vet so they hear the advice first hand (not saying your friend is making ot up but I've found in the past that some YOs take advice they hear directly from the vet more seriously).