AT HOME
KEEP YOUR ENVIRONMENT CLEAN
This will help in both preventing infection and when managing an infectious disease outbreak. Faecal material and bedding should be removed from surfaces. Walls, floors and high contact areas such as stable bolts should be wiped down or washed with a detergent to remove dirt, grease and organic matter; following up with a disinfectant will kill residual pathogens in the environment.
WASH YOUR HANDS
You can be a big reason for the spread of disease from one horse to another. It is good practice to always wash your hands after touching your horse but is especially important when managing an infectious condition. People and clothing can act as a fomite, transmitting a disease onto another healthy horse. Wearing overalls, washing your hands and not handling other horses after touching your poorly pony can all help prevent the spread of a disease.
TEMPERATURE
One of the earliest signs of an infectious disease is a high temperature. Take your horse’s temperature daily, know their normal and isolate if it’s high. 37.0 – 38.5°C is a typical normal range for a horse’s temperature.
VACCINATION
Make sure your horses’ vaccinations are up to date. The most common conditions vaccinated for are equine influenza and tetanus.
AWAY AT COMPETITIONS
DON’T SHARE TACK OR EQUIPMENT
When out competing, there is an increased risk of picking up an infectious disease due to the mixing of unfamiliar horses. Simple things you can do to reduce this risk include taking your own equipment and not mixing tack, brushes, food bowls, water buckets and mucking out equipment with others at the competition.
SHARING ISN’T ALWAYS CARING
Common grazing areas, nose to nose contact with other horses or water troughs could be a source of infection. If it is possible avoid these spaces when competing. If you are staying in temporary stables, you can disinfect these prior to leaving your horse in the stable.
IF YOUR HORSE IS ILL
It’s obvious but if your horse has not left home prior to showing signs of disease, then don’t travel. If your horse shows signs of illness when you get to a show it’s often better not to compete. If you are concerned your horse has been exposed to an infectious disease at the show isolate the horse when you get home prior to mixing with the yard.
NEW HORSE ON YARD?
Keep new arrivals to the yard separated from other horses, ideally in a field or stable that does not have nose to nose contact with other horses or any shared water source. New horses should be temperature checked daily and kept separated for 3 weeks prior to introducing them into the yard properly.
