Because of their contagious nature, infectious diseases can be a serious problem on premises where a lot of horses are located, such as a boarding stable or large horse farm. Today on Texas Vet News I am going to talk about some things you can do to help stop the spread of these diseases,as was reported by Dr. Roberta Dwyer in the University of Kentucky Equine Disease Quarterly. All horse farms and boarding stables should develop a biosecurity plan with a veterinarian, and then communicate this plan to all employees as well as all boarders at a boarding facility. In this manner, if a contagious disease develops, everyone will know what to do and not have to develop a plan at that time.

All horses should be grouped as to type or use, such as show horses, pregnant mares, and yearlings, and these horses should be housed separately. Also, people entering the farm, such as farriers and veterinarians, should work on at-risk horses like pregnant mares first and then work on show horses last because they have the most exposure to diseases. Any horses returning from a hospital visit or a horse show should be isolated for 3 weeks because if a disease is brought in, it will be identified and controlled. Isolation facilities should be available and any horse that develops signs of possible contagious diseases like coughing, diarrhea, or fever should be isolated immediately. Stalls with sick horses should be cleaned last and all tools used should be disinfected and only used in the isolation stalls. Alcohol-based hand soaps and gels should be available in every barn and should be used after handling horses and before going to another area of the farm.