Lush green pastures await your horse at Oak Haven Acres Horse Retirement. We provide a safe, comfortable environment where aged and infirm horses can live out their days. Our expert staff and horse veterinary staff ensures that each horse gets the love and attention it deserves. Whether you have a show horse, a racehorse or a trail horse who is ready for retirement, Oak Haven Acres is the premier retirement destination.
Horse Veterinary Services
With more than three decades of horse veterinary experience, Dr. Cole Younger, DVM, offers a full range of mobile horse veterinary services. Since graduating from Auburn University in 1983, he has dedicated his life to ensuring the comfort and wellness of horses just like yours.
Dr. Younger makes two yearly visits in the spring and the fall to provide your horse with the personalized care it needs. He expertly provides everything from routine vaccinations to emergency care. Here is a closer look at some of the services he provides:
Horse Vaccinations
No matter how old your horse is, they need regular vaccinations to protect them from illnesses like tetanus and West Nile Virus. At Oak Haven Acres, Dr. Younger routinely administers important vaccinations to keep your horse as healthy as possible. Our vaccination program includes:
- 4-way: The Fluvac Innovator 4 vaccination aids in the prevention of equine encephalomyelitis due to tetanus, Eastern and Western encephalomyelitis and equine influenza due to type A2 viruses.
- West Nile Virus: The West Nile vaccine is one of the most effective ways to protect horses against mosquito-borne diseases like West Nile virus, Western equine encephalitis (WEE) and Eastern equine encephalitis (EEE). Studies have shown that horses who receive this vaccination are up to 30 times less likely to contract West Nile virus.
- Rabies vaccinations: This vaccine is to prevent rabies.
Annual Coggins Test
Once a year, each horse receives an updated Coggins test. This is a special type of blood test that determines if a horse has been infected with the virus that causes Swamp Fever or Equine Infectious Anemia (EIA) which is common in hot, muggy conditions. Not only is EIA highly contagious, but it can also be fatal if left undetected.
Contrary to common belief, your horse is still at risk for EIA even while they are not traveling. Since deer and horse flies transmit EIA, any horse can contract the virus without ever coming into contact with an infected carrier horse.
Horses requiring special medications can be administered by Oak Haven Acres Horse Retirement.
Horse Dental Care
Regular dental care is very important for elderly horses. As a horse begins to age, it is not uncommon for them to begin losing teeth which can impact their ability to eat and maintain weight. In other cases, their teeth begin to wear against one another, creating sharp points that make it difficult to properly chew food. For this reason, it is imperative that they receive quality dental care.
During each visit, Dr. Younger will conduct a thorough examination of each horse’s teeth.
Farrier Services
At Oak Haven Acres Horse Retirement, your horse is provided with excellent farrier care.
Hooves trimmed
Each horse’s hooves are trimmed every 5 – 6 weeks as necessary. While front shoes are permitted, hind shoes are not allowed for safety reasons. There is a fee of $45.00 per trim per horse for this service.
Owners are frequently concerned about our farrier services because their horse requires special care due to a number of issues. Rest assured that your horse will receive exceptional farrier care during their stay at Oak Haven Acres Horse Retirement.
Rotational Worming Schedule
Oak Haven Acres Horse Retirement we understand the importance of regular worming. Each horse is kept on a quarterly rotational worming schedule. This service is administered by Oak Haven Acres and is billed to the owner.
To read more of our services view our Boarding & Feeding pages.
January- Strongid paste
April- Safe-Guard
July- Strongid paste
October- Zimectrin Gold/Equimax