Routine care keeps small problems small. Here's what goes on a first-year calendar, what the guidelines actually say, and where your vet and farrier make the call.
Hooves: every 6–8 weeks is a starting point
University of Minnesota Extension calls six to eight weeks a common starting interval for farrier work, not a rule for every horse. Your farrier adjusts it for hoof growth, conformation, workload and shoes. Between visits, pick hooves daily and watch for new cracks, loose shoes, odor, heat, tenderness or changes in how the horse moves. Regular professional care matters more than any hoof product.[1]
Teeth: an exam at least once a year
The AAEP recommends a veterinary dental exam at least once a year. Younger and senior horses may need exams more often, and so may horses with dental problems. Whether the teeth need floating depends on what the exam finds. Between exams, watch for dropped or half-chewed feed, slow eating, drooling, weight loss, bad breath, facial swelling or new resistance to the bit.[2]
Vaccines: core vaccines plus your horse's risk
The AAEP lists tetanus, rabies, Eastern and Western equine encephalomyelitis, and West Nile virus as core vaccines for every horse. Others depend on exposure: boarding, showing, travel and where you live. Give your vet the horse's real records and your plans. A horse that never leaves home still needs core vaccines, because mosquitoes don't stop at the fence. A yearly review is a starting point, not the whole schedule: some boosters come sooner, depending on the vaccine, your horse's risk and your vet's advice.[3]
Parasites: test, don't guess
The AAEP's 2024 guidelines move away from deworming every horse on a fixed schedule and rotating products blindly. Instead, your vet uses fecal egg counts, usually once or twice a year, to see how many eggs each horse sheds, and a yearly fecal egg count reduction test to check that the dewormer still works. Your vet sets the treatment. An egg count on its own isn't the whole plan, and a low count doesn't rule out every parasite.[4]
Paperwork: Coggins and health certificates
Many barns, shows and trips across state lines require a current negative Coggins test and sometimes a health certificate. The rules vary by state and event, so check before you travel.
Sources
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