We spend a lot of time talking about tick prevention in our pets, but these creepy crawlers bother all sorts of animals — including horses. Worse yet, they can transmit dangerous diseases, which in horses include Lyme disease and equine granulocytic [gran-you-low-SIT-ick] anaplasmosis [ann-uh-plaz-MOE-sus].

Horses encounter ticks when they graze or just brush against vegetation. Most ticks prefer a horse’s head — or just under it — as well as their belly, mane and tail. That’s why daily grooming is the best way to check for ticks.

But prevention is the real way to go. Make sure to use a tick preventative that’s approved for horses, and don’t combine products unless you check with your veterinarian. It’s also important to have your horse vaccinated against Lyme disease.