What to give? How often? Is it safe? These are questions I hear between caretakers all the time. I can say this is a personal decision everyone should make with the advice of their veterinarian. You must take into consideration, sex, age, exposure, stabling, and overall health of each horse. A vaccine is an antigen that works as a trigger for the immune system so that the next time the immune system sees this antigen; the immune system will attack it. The vaccine itself doesn't do the protecting. There are diseases they can contract that are fatal (Rabies, Encephalitis) and some diseases are not (rarely fatal are Flu and Strangles). Assessing your horses risks will help you better choose a vaccine protocol.
If vaccines need to be given to horses yearly for efficacy then people should be getting vaccines yearly as well. We were given vaccines as babies and young children but not anymore. Why should we vaccinate our horses multiple times a year for diseases they are not at risk for or already have immunity to? Vaccines companies teach vaccination protocol. They profit from vaccines. Veterinarians make a profit off of each vaccine they adminster. Some don't want to go against the grain since it would mean going against western veterinarian education and training.
Let's be smart about this; horses that have diseases or illness should not be vaccinated. These horses have a compromised immune system. Giving a sick horse a vaccine will further stress the immune system.
Vaccinating isn't without its risks. Risks of vaccinating include fever, reduced appetite, pain or swelling at site of vaccination. On rare occasion serious adverse responses occur; diarrhea, difficulty breathing, facial swelling, and whole body itching. An even more rare response to a vaccine is death. Contact your veterinarian immediately if any side effects occur. Adverse side effects can show up within 24 to 48 hours or as long as a month out from vaccination.
Did you know that mercury is not banned in equine vaccines? All killed virus vaccines are preservered with mercury. Mercury is a known neurotoxin. It will damage or destroy nerve tissue.
I personally haven't vaccinated in about 4 years. I made the decision based off of their exposure, their limited travel, they are healthy, and kept in clean environments. I also have a mare, Diva, who had vaccinosis. She was experiencing pain. Pain that would appear in her hips, her shoulders, or her back on any given day. One of her teets was was also enlarged, she had a random lameness issue with no apparent cause, and had gone through 3 episodes of colic in a year and a half (one of them nearly cost her life). After stopping all vaccines, and using a homeopathic remedy, Thuja (to combat vaccinosis), her random pain and enlarged teet resolved. She has not had a bout with colic since. Nor has she developed any more inexplicable lameness.
I am comfortable not vaccinating and prefer to use nosodes to support the immune system. It has been shown that they are completely safe, with no side effects on the immune system. A nosode is a homeopathic remedy that is prepared from matter of an infected/sick individual. It is then diluted an extreme amount of times, rendering it harmless and but yet very effective. It works on the theory of "like treats like".
*This website is for informational use only. It is in no way intended to diagnose, treat, or cure and is not to replace traditional veterinary care. The information described is from my experiences and observations.