As winter ends and spring begins, most horse owners start thinking about vaccinations. Which ones should my horse receive? How often should he be vaccinated? Does he need any risk-based vaccines? Confused? Don’t worry. One equine veterinarian and researcher distilled the broad topic of vaccinations down at the 2012 Western Veterinary Conference, held Feb. 19-23 in Las Vegas, Nev.

"The decision to vaccinate horses should depend on risk of infection and scientific evidence that a vaccine will reduce that risk," explained Elizabeth G. Davis, DVM, PhD, Dipl. ACVIM, associated professor and equine section head at the Kansas State University College of Veterinary Medicine.

Davis began by cautioning that no vaccine can–or should be expected to–prevent all disease. Rather, she explained that vaccines are designed to protect and boost the horse’s immune system in the face of challenge from an infectious pathogen. Davis discussed the ins and outs about how vaccines protect the horse (by eliciting an immune response against a familiar pathogen), how vaccine antigens are handled within the body, and the types of immune response triggered (humoral or cell-mediated) before delving into the decision making process behind choosing vaccinations.

She suggested practitioners and owners alike follow the recommendations set forth by the American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP) in their vaccination guidelines