ompatible trailer partners and stopping to rest before they're exhausted, controlling biting flies and other nuisances, and maintaining consistency in your horse's life are a few ways to do that.
Event organizers can also take steps to minimize disease spread, so before you go, ask about biosecurity—the procedures in place for reducing contagion before or during an outbreak. Are there requirements (such as health certificates) for horses who take part? Is there a plan for monitoring horse health at the event? How were stalls cleaned and sanitized after the last event at the facility? What's the plan for handling and isolating any contagious horses?
"Having a biosecurity plan reduces response time, which is key in limiting disease spread," Dr. Traub-Dargatz says. In California, state animal health officials have now developed a "biosecurity toolkit" for equine events, she adds, to help event organizers think through the details of their plan. It's online at www.cdfa.ca.gov/ahfss/Animal_Health/Equine_Biosecurity.html
When California state veterinarians visited the HITS Thermal facility to assess risks in January, they found no reason to close or place restrictions on the show. HITS organizers decided to take some extra precautions all the same. Daily ship-ins were barred, which kept some local horses off the grounds. Anyone bringing horses to the show had to disclose where the horses came from and where they had been. Trainers and handlers were asked to limit contact between horses, take each horse's temperature twice a day and report fevers of 102 or higher to the vet clinic on the grounds. The organizers also set up isolation stalls where any such horses could be kept for further evaluation.
Other events took special precautions during the California outbreak, too. The U.S. Equestrian Federation authorized alternative saddlery inspection procedures for dressage competitions: Stewards could check bits and other equipment visually, without touching horses, to reduce the risk of spreading infection.
Is He Safe at Home?
Even if your horse never goes to a show, infectious disease can sneak into his stable. He may be infected when a new horse arrives at the barn or when another horse goes off the property and returns carrying disease. Visitors may carry disease onto the property on shoes or clothing.
How great is the danger? That depends on many factors, including the number of horses on the farm, the amount of contact they have with each other and outsiders, their health and vaccination status and nitty-gritty details of management, from how manure is handled to how (and how often) water buckets are cleaned. To get a sense of how your horse's living situation measures up, use Equine Guelph's Biosecurity Risk Calculator (www.equineguelph.ca/Tools/biosecurity_2011.php
), an online quiz that scores your facility and points out where and how you can improve.
"There are simple, easy ways to reduce risk," says Dr. Traub-Dargatz, "and there are more complex procedures that can reduce risk further but may impact the way the facility is managed." For example:
- Stable horses who travel often apart from those who stay home—show horses separate from broodmares, for example.
- Isolate new horses for at least three weeks (see "Biosecurity Basics" below). Monitor temperatures and watch for signs of illness, such as diarrhea, cough or nasal discharge.
- Limit contact between visitors and horses. Depending on your situation, the rules can range from no petting or feeding to no visitors at all in the barn.
- Wash hands before and after handling all horses.
- Control rodents and insects, which can spread disease.
- Call your veterinarian promptly when a horse develops a fever or shows other signs of being sick. The sooner you identify the problem and isolate the horse, the less time the disease has to spread to other horses in the barn or to other horse facilities.
- Work with your veterinarian to make sure your horse gets the recommended vaccinations at the recommended times, which will depend on where he lives and what he does.
- Have a bios