Vaccinations

[PrancingPoniesxx]

I'm thinking about getting a new horse and I'm wondering about vaccinations! I'm not competing or going anywhere and she's staying in our field where she has no access to other horses. I've looked after two for around 2 1/2 years and they've never been vaccinated and have done fine. I'm wondering does she need anything or should I get her teatnus or anything else. I'm in Northern Ireland co Tyrone so I'm wondering about the cost of a vet coming out as well as well as the jag. She won't see any other equines and will only be used for hacking

 

[Theocat]

Lots of people don't, but the cost is a drop in the ocean compared to the costs of keeping a horse so I see no reason not to - never mind protecting against the risk.

I'd strongly advise against keeping it entirely alone. It can make them desperately unhappy, and if you DO meet another horse they can become very difficult - understandably! Do your parents have experience of horses, PP? You definitely need expert advice on hand - it would be best to keep the new pony on a yard where you have experienced help and support.

 

[PrancingPoniesxx]

Thank for the reply xx My granda has experience so he's always there to help out! I would be keeping it at a yard except it's damn expensive and we don't have piles of money - enough to keep a horse on our own land. I'm thinking I should just do it because the risk is too big never mind the vets bills! Do you j who much about the cost?

 

[Theocat]

I'm not sure about costs in your area (or in mine asi've had free call outs until now!) but if you call a vet they can tell you an approximate cost. Best to get it done

If you have your own land, having a companion (or even better, two, to prevent separation anxiety when you take one out) is really something you should think about - but honestly, you're twelve years old, most of the fun is being on a yard making friends and having adventures together. You will still need lessons so it would make sense to be somewhere you have an instructor

 

[spacefaer]

Even if you decide not to have the flu vaccinations (which you should do really, as equine flu is a horrible thing for a horse to suffer) you ought to have them jagged against tetanus - it only needs doing every 2 years as well. A horse can get tetanus just by getting a cut from a wire fence, or a rusty nail.

You would save money on the vets if you took your horse to the vet's practice - saves the call out fee, and you only have to pay for the vet to inject and the cost of the injection itself.

 

[PrancingPoniesxx]

I would be on a yard except the only local yard there is costs a lot of money and we don't have enough money to keep a horse and board it there -We have enough to keep it but not enough to board it. I'm continuing with my lessons on a riding school pony until we can either get someone to give us a lift of get a horse box (very unlikely) I've decided to get something that's up to date on its vaccinations so I can continue with all of them but at the same time not have to start over again! Thanks for the reply xx

 

[ash_vet]

Speaking from a veterinary point of view I always advise our clients to vaccinate against Flu and Tetanus. At some stage there will be a large flu outbreak in this country, such as what happened in Australia in 2007.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2007_Australian_equine_influenza_outbreak

That being said many of our current equine flu vaccines are actually using an out of date strain of flu, so it is worth having a discussion with your vet about which brand of vaccine they use. Still I would not be travelling my horses anywhere if they did not have a flu vaccine, for the sake of them and others.

Tetanus is a completely different issue. I have seen and treated (unsuccessfully) horses with tetanus. It is an absolutely heartbreaking thing to watch. Tetanus exists pretty much everywhere and can get into the body through any small cuts and scrapes. If you see a wound early it is possible to give tetanus antitoxin at the time to prevent tetanus from setting up an active infection. However this costs about £25 per injection and only provides cover for about 2-4 weeks after injection, therefore if you have a particularly accident prone horse it becames a rather expensive way of doing things. Most tetanus vaccines are priced between £20-30, and only need to be given once every couple of years. For peace of mind alone, at that price it is worth it.