Proper management can reduce the incidence of many disease conditions in horses. Informed management of the environment and diet, routine foot and dental care, and adherence to an appropriate deworming and vaccination program form the basis of a preventive health program. Client education is important for compliance. Owners are more likely to follow recommended changes in husbandry programs once they appreciate the advantages: diet manipulation reduces the incidence of certain types of colic and exercise-induced myopathies, good dental care improves feed utilization, minimizing exposure to barn dusts and molds reduces the risk of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and individually designed deworming and vaccination programs reduce morbidity and mortality rates due to parasitism and infectious disease.

Last full review/revision July 2011 by Wendy E. Vaala, VMD, DACVIM