Routine care: vaccinations, worming, teeth and feet

Some care does not come round every day, but at regular intervals. One is compulsory — the flu vaccination for competing — and the others are recommended and just as important to the horse’s health.

In the exam programme

State and explain the regular care that is compulsory — vaccination — and recommended — worming, dental care…Common module B

Grooming, picking out feet and daily checks are your job. Routine care is for professionals: the vet, the equine dental technician, the farrier. Your part is to know why each exists, how often it comes round, and to spot the signs that mean it should be brought forward.

Vaccination

A vaccine teaches the horse’s body to fight a disease before it meets it. The protection fades with time: it is kept up with regular boosters.

Vaccine	Status	Why
Equine flu	Compulsory to compete in FFE competitions, and required at many gatherings	A highly contagious respiratory disease that spreads fast through a yard or a show
Tetanus	Not compulsory, but strongly recommended	Horses are very susceptible; the bacterium gets in through a wound, however small, and the disease is often fatal
Equine herpes (rhinopneumonitis)	Compulsory in Amateur and Pro competitions; recommended elsewhere	A viral respiratory disease, especially serious for mares in foal

The horse’s main vaccinations

For flu, the FFE rules set a precise schedule: a primary course of two injections 21 to 92 days apart, a third injection no later than 6 months and 21 days after the second, then a booster at least once a year. No injection may be given in the 7 days before a competition. The vet enters every vaccination in the health record.

Did you know?

The rules change: vaccination against equine herpes has been compulsory in Pro competitions since 2024 and in Amateur since 2026. Before each season, check that year’s rules.

Worming

All horses carry intestinal worms, which they swallow while grazing grass soiled by droppings. In large numbers these parasites damage the gut, cause weight loss and can bring on colic. They are fought with wormers, most often a paste put on the tongue with a dosing syringe set to the horse’s weight.

For a long time every horse was wormed on fixed dates. Today we prefer targeted worming, decided with the vet: tests on droppings — faecal egg counts — show which horses to treat and when, often in spring and autumn. Worming too often or under-dosing makes the worms resistant to the products. Picking up droppings in the field also cuts down reinfection.

Teeth and feet

A horse’s teeth grow throughout his life and wear down as he chews. Wearing at an angle, the molars form points as sharp as blades, sharp edges, that cut the cheeks and tongue. The vet or the equine dental technician rasps them at a check-up at least once a year — more often for young and old horses — and removes wolf teeth if needed, small teeth that can interfere with the bit.

Horn grows continuously too. Whether the horse is shod or barefoot, the farrier or trimmer comes regularly, usually every 6 to 8 weeks, sometimes more often: he rebalances the foot and, if the horse is shod, replaces his shoes.

Care	Usual interval	Who does it
Flu vaccination	Booster at least once a year	Vet
Tetanus vaccination	Boosters according to the vaccine’s schedule	Vet
Worming	According to test results, often in spring and autumn	Decided with the vet
Teeth	Check-up at least once a year	Vet or equine dental technician
Feet	About every 6 to 8 weeks	Farrier or trimmer

A rough calendar

Tip

Think teeth when a horse chews lopsidedly, drops his feed, stuffs balls of hay in his cheeks (quidding), shakes his head or fights the bit, or loses weight for no reason. Report it: the check-up can be brought forward.

Remember

Compulsory: the flu vaccination for competing. Recommended: tetanus, targeted worming, the teeth at least once a year, the feet every 6 to 8 weeks.

Ekidemy

The Galops^®, from the first step to Galop 7