Routine Equine Services

Vaccinations

We recommend that all horses are vaccinated against influenza and tetanus.

• If tetanus is contracted it is almost always fatal in horses causing a great deal of suffering despite being entirely preventable.
• Influenza is a highly infectious disease and an outbreak can lead to large numbers of horses falling ill and being unable to work for a significant length of time. In young, old or infirm horses influenza can also prove to be fatal.

Dental Care

Dental care is one of the most important aspects of routine care. Broadly speaking teeth should be checked once every 12 months, however, some horses may need them checking more regularly depending on age, the individual and the presence of any pre-existing conditions.

Domesticated horses commonly spend less time chewing and the feeding of concentrates alters the pattern of chewing movements. These factors can predispose the horse to allowing sharp or overgrown teeth to develop.

Worming

An effective worming regime plays an essential role in maintaining your horse’s health. We are happy to provide advice – whether it is for individual horses or whole yards – to both analyse the worm problem and put forward a treatment plan. We utilise Faecal Worm Egg Counts (FWEC) during the spring, summer and autumn to assess which horses need worming and target specific worms at the correct time of year to effectively kill them. We also offer parasite sampling carried out via Liverpool University’s Diagnosteq laboratory (www.diagnosteq.com) for roundworms and tapeworms.