Pretty much panicking here. My horse has been sound all winter, spent the last month and a half long trotting almost every day a couple miles. No issues. Had the vet come out Friday to give one shot, rabies only. A couple hours later I went to the barn to check on him and he is covered in hives. His sheath is extremely swollen. So I give 20 tablets of Benadryl and a dose of Banamine per vet recommendation. The next morning, his sheath is still very swollen, very weak in both hind legs. Hives are 80% gone. But lame on both hind legs. Which this horse has never been lame. So I went to get some oral dex from my vet. Gave two packets of dex  Saturday morning. And one packet on Sunday. Sheath is still swollen, all hives are gone. I just got home from the barn. He is kicking out at me when I try to pick up either hind leg. And his right front is very lame. Not sure what the heck is going on, but I am freaking out. Obviously going to have to do an emergency visit tonight, waiting on my vet to return my phone call. This has never happened before, and I am very scared. He's been going really good riding wise up until this vaccine on Friday.

So sorry, your going through this!! I asked my vet about the vaccine and she said NO, that the vaccine reactions were not worth the risk. She said she would only use it if the risk of getting rabies was super high to make it worth it. 

Thank you! At the barn I am at, it is a required vaccination. He has gotten the vaccination twice and never had a reaction. One of the on-call vets is coming in 45 minutes. Hoping for the best! I'm so stressed.

Prayers for you and your horse!!!!!

I second this

How offten are you giving this vaccine? Is this a yearly thing that this barn requires? 

once a year. It's required at all barns around my area. 

Is this the same brand of vaccine that was giving to him the last 2 years? I would find out to see if maybe he was giving a different brand from the last two. 

I sure hope you get good news.  Thanks for the posts and information.  I think I will save some money and pass on the rabies vaccine here this year for my horses.  I lived many years not giving it at all to horses.  I will not give my old dogs (7+) any vaccines except rabies.  My 13 year old chihuahua had a terrible reaction to being vaccinated every year, the last being the worst, and I lost him.  Since then 2 retiring vets have told me to pass, especially since they stay home and not around strange dogs.  I have always been upset my chi got the same as a great dane puppy.  Really scared I have a 2 lb mini aussie going to need shots soon.  Prayers for your pony.

I have gotten all my horses( quit a lot in the last 35 years) the rabies vaccine and never had even one have a reaction to rabies.  I will again get them vacinated when due.  The only one I have ever problems with is Rhino vacs   

We gave the rabies vaccine two years in a row due to outbreaks in our area and the fact we killed a rabid skunk on our place near out barn -- and found a skunk in our barn in daylight (it ran off before I could kill it).  Since that time we have not given it.  We had no issues thank goodness. 

Gave it one time when there was an outbreak in the immediate area.  Reactions were not pretty.  Hopefully I won't face the decision again.

I had a customer in Colorado that gave 4 horses the rabies vaccine a couple years ago because they where sending the horses down to me in Texas. One had an extreme reaction as well. The hives, colic, diarrhea, swelling in legs. Had another customer give the west Nile shot and her horse would tie up so bad every time she gave it. That horse was miserable every time. 
I own a boarding facility and will not require my boarders to get all the vaccinations due to I've seen so many horrible reactions. They are required to have coggins only. To me for my horses it is just not worth it. They are on immune boosters.