Your horse will need shots on a routine basis to protect him from disease and keep him healthy.

Your horse will need the following annual shots:

Rabies that is most often passed to horses through skunks and raccoons. Rabies may manifest as paralysis, confusion and convulsions, or the horse may salivate profusely and attack anything that moves. The end result for all variations is death.

Tetanus is another preventable killer in horses. If your horse gets a puncture wound or other injury that becomes dirty it may set up a tetanus infection. The signs are a stiff walk (gait), horse's legs will be rigid - also called the sawhorse stance. Followed by an inability to eat and overexcitement to sounds. The disease will progress rapidly and will either suffocate the horse or cause a seizure that results in death. Eastern & Western encephalomyelitis is a disease that is spread by the bite of mosquitoes and the virus attacks the brain and central nervous system.

Strangles and Botulism are both diseases that regular inoculations can prevent.

Most horses receive a Potomac fever inoculation. If the fever is prevalent in your area, your vet or farrier may recommend having the injection more often. Another frequent injection (every 2 months or so) for younger horses, horses with depressed immune systems and horses that travel is the rhino/flu vaccine.

Your horse will also need to be wormed on a regular basis, every 6 weeks is a good schedule for most horses. These inoculations will help keep your horse healthy and not susceptible to viruses and diseases that cause horse deaths every year.

Owning a horse is a big responsibility. Many first time horse owners are shocked to find out horses require more than food, water, and some occasional attention.

Horses require good food, good water, and quality time and that's just the tip of the iceberg. First, remember your horse has a digestive system much different than a dog or a cat, horses eat roughage and graze. Their digestive systems need to be continually working, so horses need access to hay or a pasture that has fresh grass to keep his digestive system functioning naturally. Also, most horses have small stomachs so they eat a few times a day instead of one large meal.

Horses are creatures of habit. Horses like to be fed at the same time every day. They do best when you have established a routine. If you're horse has a tendency to have colic, let your horse have water before hay and then follow hay with the heavier grain meal and this will allow the digestive system to already be in process and your horse won't be as likely to develop colic. On the average, a horse will drink around 11 gallons of water per day, your horse may drink a little less or a little more. Your horse will also need carbs and energy food in the form of oats. The protein in a horse's diet comes from grains, pastureland grasses, alfalfa, clover, and grains.

Horses also need minerals and vitamins in their diets. There are some wonderful supplements available that can be mixed into your horses feed that will give them the things that might be missing from their diets. Make sure your horse's feed container is kept clean; some horses won't eat from a dirty container no matter how hungry they get. Check the hay before you feed it to your horse, make sure all hay is free from mold and does not have a musty smell. Very green hay is also a no-no for horses to eat.

Do not work your horse immediately after eating; let at least an hour pass. Consequently, never feed your horse immediately after riding, let him cool down and rest about an hour.

Above all, let commonsense be your guide. Keep a close eye on your horse and make sure you are feeding him the proper amount of food. Make sure he doesn't become fat and increase his food amount if he is too thin. If his appetite seems "off" this can be one of the earliest signs of illness, wait a day and then call a veterinarian.