Deworming and Vaccinating Your Horse
Caring for the health of your horse involves ensuring you properly worm your horse and provide it with the vaccinations that it needs. Here are some basics that you should know about each process.
Deworming
Many horse owners prefer deworming their horse once in the spring and then again in the fall. Most dewormers are in the form of a paste inside of a syringe. The syringe is simply placed in the horse’s mouth and then squirted into the horse’s mouth. After the paste is squirted into the horse’s mouth, you should hold its mouth up so the horse swallows the paste rather than spitting it out.
Vaccinations
Your horse needs to receive certain vaccinations in order to protect it from certain diseases and illnesses. Many vaccinations are given annually, but others may be required on a bi-annual basis. Vaccines that all horses should receive include Rabies, West Nile Virus, EEE/WEE and a tetanus shot. There may be additional vaccinations recommended for your horse depending on its current health condition, age and where your horse lives.
Most horse owners choose to have the veterinarian administer vaccinations, but it is also possible for you to administer them yourself if you conduct the proper research to ensure you are administering it correctly.