PREVENTION, VACCINATIONS AND ROUTINE CARE
Keeping my horse healthy
Vaccinations, teeth, worming, weight. None of it is dramatic, and all of it is the reason you don't end up ringing us at two in the morning. This is the quiet, unglamorous work that keeps horses well — and it's the cheapest medicine there is.
A year in the life of a healthy horse
Most horses need surprisingly little. Here's roughly how a year looks — we'll remind you when things are due, so you don't have to keep a diary.
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Annual flu and tetanus booster
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Worm egg count before turnout
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Weight check as the grass comes
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Laminitis risk review
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Dental check if due
SPRING
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Weight and condition monitoring
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Sweet itch and fly management
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Worm egg count
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Competition vaccination checks
SUMMER
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Dental examination
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Tapeworm test
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Cushing's testing — best done now
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Condition scoring before winter
AUTUMN
WINTER
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Encysted redworm treatment
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Veteran health checks
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Weight monitoring — the good time to lose some
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Planning next year's vaccinations
What a routine visit looks like
Preventive work is quick, but it shouldn't be rushed. We'd rather do four horses properly than eight in a hurry.
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We remind you
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Vaccinations, dentals and worm counts, flagged before they're overdue rather than after.
We come to the yard
Several horses on one visit share the visit fee, so talk to your yard about booking together.
We look at the whole horse
A vaccination visit is also a free pair of eyes on weight, teeth, feet and skin.
We tell you what we noticed
ncluding the things that aren't urgent yet — while they're still cheap and easy to fix.
What we do
Vaccinations
Protection against the things you can't treat once they arrive.
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Influenza and tetanus, primary course and boosters
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Tetanus alone
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Equine herpes virus (EHV)
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Strangles
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Rotavirus for pregnant mares
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Competition rule checks and record-keeping
Weight, laminitis, and the metabolic horse
The commonest preventable problem we see, and the most rewarding to get right.
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Weight and body condition scoring
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Realistic weight loss plans
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Laminitis risk screening
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Cushing's (PPID) testing and monitoring
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Insulin and EMS testing
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Feeding and turnout advice
Worming, done properly
Test first, treat only when needed. Better for the horse and slows resistance.
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Faecal worm egg counts
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Tapeworm testing
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Small redworm blood test
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Yard-wide worming programmes
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Pasture management advice
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Resistance testing
Teeth, identity and everyday jobs
The things you notice grooming, and the changes no-one else would spot
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Annual health check
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Routine dental examination and rasping
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Microchipping and passport applications
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Sedation for clipping, farrier or travel
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Castration
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Repeat prescriptions and medication reviews
Also worth knowing about
Less routine, but part of keeping a horse well over a lifetime
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Strangles screening for new arrivals
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Biosecurity advice for yards
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Veteran and geriatric care
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Insurance claim support
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Wolf tooth removal
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Routine blood profiles
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Quality of life assessment
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Euthanasia at home
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Collection and cremation
what we WON'T do.
We won't vaccinate against everything just because we can, and we won't sell you a wormer your horse doesn't need. Blanket worming every season is how resistance was created, and it's still being done.
Preventive care should cost you less over a horse's life, not more.