Contagious and infectious diseases are serious threats to horse health and the economy of the equine industry.  Vaccines are available to protect horses from many equine diseases but vaccines are not 100% and there are many other equine diseases for which there is no vaccine available.  Consequently, Dr. Steve Conboy from Lexington, Kentucky, indicates management of infected horses is important to prevent spread to other horses.  First of all, all horse farms and stables should have a vaccination policy and all horses should have documentation from a vet proving their vaccination history.  A contagious disease could cost a horse farm thousands of dollars, and it is not worth taking a chance on vaccination records that can not be proven. 

All farms should also have a policy for admitting new horses as well as horses re-entering after coming home from events.  A quarantine facility should be set up and all new horses should be quarantined for a period of 3 weeks with no exceptions.  All horses in quarantine should have their temperatures taken daily and monitored closely for any symptoms of disease.  Also, horses that are taken to shows or leave the property should be kept separate from horses that never leave the premises.  All brood mares should be totally separate from other horses.  These restrictions may seem harsh but are critical to prevent serious problems on a horse farm.  Just this week at one of the stables in my practice area, a new horse was brought in but not isolated and when this horse developed a fever, all of the horse owners were worried about their horses.  Quarantine decreases the chance of disease spread and decreases the stable owner’s liability.