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✅ Stay Ahead of Disease

Preventive Care for Horses

Vaccination schedules, strategic deworming, dental care, annual exams, and biosecurity: the foundational health calendar built on AAEP guidelines.

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Core Protocols
Core
AAEP Guidelines
Annual
Vet Partnership
Region
Specific Risk
Free
Always

Prevention Is the Most Cost-Effective Equine Health Investment

The diseases, dental problems, and parasite burdens that cost the most to treat are overwhelmingly the ones that appropriate preventive care prevents or catches early. A consistent annual wellness program — vaccinations on schedule, targeted deworming based on fecal egg counts, biannual dental exams, and an annual veterinary examination — is the foundation of a long, healthy, productive equine career.

The guides below follow AAEP (American Association of Equine Practitioners) guidelines and current evidence-based veterinary practice. Each covers what the protocol is, why it matters, how it works, and the specific questions worth asking your veterinarian.

Preventive care protocols should be developed in partnership with your licensed equine veterinarian, who can tailor recommendations to your horse's age, use, geographic location, and individual risk factors. The guides below provide educational context to support those conversations. Find an equine vet →
Core Preventive Health Protocols
💉 Core + Risk-Based
Vaccination Guide
AAEP core vaccines are recommended for every horse regardless of use or location: EEE/WEE, Tetanus, West Nile Virus, and Rabies. Risk-based vaccines — Influenza, EHV, Strangles, Potomac Horse Fever — are determined by your horse's exposure risk, travel schedule, and geographic region. This guide explains every vaccine category, the schedule, and what to discuss with your vet.
AAEP GuidelinesAnnual+Region-Specific
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🪲 Targeted Selective Treatment
Strategic Deworming Programs
The modern evidence-based approach uses fecal egg counts (FEC) to identify which horses in a herd actually need treatment — rather than treating all horses on a fixed calendar schedule that drives anthelmintic resistance. Bot flies require a separate targeted fall treatment with ivermectin or moxidectin. This guide explains how to build an effective, resistance-conscious program.
FEC-BasedResistance PreventionAnnual Bots
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🦷 Annual to Biannual
Dental Care
Equine teeth erupt continuously throughout life and require professional floating to remove sharp points that lacerate cheeks and affect bit acceptance. Adult horses need annual exams; young horses and seniors often need them more often — ask your vet. Dental disease is consistently underrecognized because horses mask discomfort until it becomes significant.
Annual ExamPerformance ImpactBiannual for Seniors
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📋 Once a Year Minimum
Annual Wellness Exam
An annual examination by a licensed equine veterinarian provides a complete health baseline, catches emerging problems before they become serious, and is the right time to review vaccinations, deworming results, body condition, and any behavioral or performance concerns. For horses over 15, biannual exams and ACTH testing for Cushing's screening are increasingly recommended.
Baseline HealthPPID Screening 15+Bloodwork Option
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🛡️ Herd Protection
Biosecurity Protocols
Biosecurity practices — new horse quarantine, event return monitoring, equipment disinfection, and handler protocols — prevent the introduction and spread of infectious diseases including Strangles, EHV, Influenza, and Pigeon Fever. The cost of preventing an outbreak is a fraction of the cost of managing one.
New Horse QuarantineEvent ReturnOutbreak Response
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Preventive Care Calendar — Annual Overview

TopicKey PointAction
Core VaccinesEEE/WEE, Tetanus, West Nile, Rabies — annually for all horsesSchedule with your vet in early spring before mosquito season
Risk-Based VaccinesInfluenza, EHV, Strangles — based on exposure and event scheduleMore often than annually for performance and show horses
Fecal Egg CountIdentifies which horses need deworming and what products are still effectiveSpring and fall; more frequently for high shedders
Bot Fly TreatmentIvermectin or moxidectin after first killing frost — targets full season's larvaeLate fall or early winter; all horses regardless of FEC status
Dental ExamAdult horses annually; young horses and seniors often every 6 monthsSchedule with annual wellness exam or separately
Annual Wellness ExamFull physical, BCS, bloodwork discussion, vaccination and deworming reviewSchedule same time each year; spring is common
ACTH TestingScreen for Cushing's (PPID) — recommended from age 10+Spring for clearest results; fall if symptoms present
Coggins (EIA Test)Required for travel and most competitions; validity period varies by stateAnnual; time with spring vet visit
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Why Prevention Matters

A complete preventive program — vaccinations, deworming, dental care and a wellness exam — is aimed at the problems listed below. Your veterinarian can tailor each part of the program to your horse.

Preventive InvestmentProblems It Helps Prevent
Core vaccinationsEEE, Tetanus, West Nile Disease
Fecal egg count + targeted dewormingColic from parasitic damage; cyathostomin larval disease
Annual dental examWeight loss from impaired chewing; choke; colic from poor mastication
Annual wellness examMissed PPID (Cushing's), EMS, early systemic disease
Biosecurity protocolsStrangles outbreak; EHV spread; Pigeon Fever transmission

Building Your Annual Preventive Calendar — By Month

Arizona's climate creates a distinct preventive calendar driven by the monsoon season (July–September), the heat that peaks before it, and mild winters that maintain year-round parasite risk. The following framework should be customized with your veterinarian to match your specific horses, facility, and competition schedule.

PeriodPriority ActionArizona-Specific Notes
January–FebruarySchedule spring wellness visits; Coggins renewals for competition horses; review deworming resistance data from prior yearMild temps — ideal for dental procedures and early spring prep before heat arrives
March–AprilCore spring vaccinations (EEE/WEE, West Nile, Tetanus, Rabies); risk-based vaccines for show/event horses; fecal egg countMosquito pressure begins early; don't delay West Nile vaccination
May–JunePre-summer wellness checks; evaluate body condition before extreme heat; adjust nutrition and water managementBegin twice-daily water checks; electrolyte access critical; inspect hooves before dry-season cracking begins
July–SeptemberMonsoon = Pigeon Fever season; fly control intensification; watch for rain rot and skin conditions; check for bot fly eggsPeak Pigeon Fever risk August–October; aggressive fly control now; inspect horses daily for chest/belly swelling
October–NovemberFall fecal egg count; bot fly treatment (after first cool nights); biannual dental for seniors and young horsesBot fly egg-laying peaks late summer/fall; treat all horses regardless of FEC after temperatures drop consistently
DecemberYear-end ACTH testing for horses over 10 (if not tested spring); heater checks for water; winter nutrition reviewAsk your veterinarian about winter management of PPID horses; ensure heated water access; body condition scoring before winter nutrition changes

What to Bring to the Annual Preventive Visit

The annual wellness visit is most productive when you arrive prepared. The following information helps your veterinarian make informed decisions rather than starting from scratch each year.

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HorseVeterinarian.AI is a free educational resource from Bridle & Bit Magazine — Arizona's premier equestrian publication since 1978. The best preventive care happens in partnership with a licensed equine veterinarian who knows your horse.

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