Biosecurity includes all the steps that a farm, show facility, or transporter takes to protect the horses in their care from contagious diseases. These include both the prevention of disease and minimizing the spread of illnesses between horses. Farms that are self-contained, where horses never come and go and people aren't in contact with other horses have a fairly simple task to protect their equine residents. However, farms where horses show, are bought and sold, or come for the day for lessons can have a much more difficult task. How can these farms best protect themselves from contagious disease?

Step 1:  Vaccinate.  

Many of the most dangerous contagious diseases have effective vaccines. Even in cases where vaccines do not prevent disease 100% of the time, they reduce the severity and duration of the illness and thereby reduce the chances that a sick horse will infect another horse.  On busy farms, horses should be vaccinated for Strangles, Influenza, Rhinopneumonitis, and Rabies before being permitted on the farm. They should also be able to show a negative Coggins. Even in cases where vaccines do not completely prevent the disease (such as neurologic rhinopneumonitis and Strangles), vaccination reduces the severity of the illness and the ability to pass the disease to others.

Step 2:  Quarantine.  

Any horse that is new to your farm should be quarantined, or separated from all other horses, for at least 14 days. If a horse is on the property only for the day, he should be kept

aw ay from the permanent residents as much as possible. Quarantined horses should be distant enough from others that they cannot sneeze on them (at least 8 feet). Ideally, people caring for quarantined horses should not come into contact with other horses on the farm. If this is not possible, do everything with the quarantined horses at the end  of the day. Do not go from quarantined horses to horses in the general population.

Step 3:  Keep tools separate. 

This means using separate muck tools, buckets, grooming equipment, hoses, and tack for each quarantined horse and NEVER sharing those tools with unquarantined horses.

Step 4:  Clean and sterilize. 

People who have contact with quarantined horses should wear coveralls, boot covers, gloves, and hair covers. There should be a foot bath of 10% bleach outside the quarantine stall or paddock to wash boots and alcohol hand sanitizer. Clean all organic material (feces, dirt, hay, grass, etc.) off boots and hands before sterilizing in the foot bath or hand sanitizer. After a suspect horse has been cleared to enter the regular population, scrub the stall with detergent and then bleach, allowing it to dry completely in between.

Sometimes full biosecurity is not possible, such as when horses go to shows, trailer for lessons or go trail riding. In these circumstances, try to minimize your horse's exposure to other horses and their bodily effluents by taking the following precautions:

1)       Do not let your horse graze where other horses may have done so.

2)       Do not allow your horse nose-to-nose contact with strange horses.

3)       When filling water buckets from communal hoses or spigots, do not allow the hose or spigot to actually touch your bucket or the water inside.

4)       Do not pet other horses, especially not on the nose.

5)       Discourage other people from petting your horse.

6)       Do not share grooming tools, muck tools, or tack.

7)       If you are using a shared trailer, make sure it is clean and bleached before transporting your horse.

8)      If you can, keep your horse on the trailer or tied to it rather than in a communal stall.

This link from the American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP) has useful information in English and Spanish to post in your barn near a quarantined horse. And here is very detailed information about disinfectants and their appropriate uses. Another good resource is the Equine Disease Communication Center. It is sponsored by the American Association of Equine Practitioners and is a central database for outbreaks of concerning diseases in horses across North America.

If you would like a veterinarian to come to your farm and advise you on biosecurity practices specific to your premises, please give us a call to schedule your appointment at 609-291-0535.