1) How many horses are on the farm/facility?

Keep in mind that the greater the number of horses on a given property, the greater the risk of disease transmission. Generally, operations with more horses have more horse movement, which could result in disease introduction.

2) What best describes the farm/facility?

With frequent introduction of new horses or when horses visit the farm/facility, there is a risk of infectious disease. Personnel that move on and off a facility and have contact with other horse populations can increase the possibility that an infectious disease may be brought onto the premises, unless precautions are taken to reduce this risk.

3) What best describes the use for the majority of horses on the farm/facility?

Horses that frequently travel to competitions and breeding farms are in contact with other horses are more likely to be exposed to infectious disease agents. Precautions taken while horses are away from their home facility, and upon their return, can reduce the risk they pose.

4) What best describes the situation on your farm/facility?

Turning horses out into paddocks or pastures with different groups frequently increases the number of different animals with which any one horse has contact. This will increase the risk of disease transmission between horses if one of these horses is carrying an infectious agent. Note – RECOMMENDED PRACTICE – turn horses out with other horses or other equine companions of similar health and movement status. (Code of Practice for the Care and Handling of Equines, 2013)

5) What kind of flooring is in the majority of the stalls/indoor housing?

Some surfaces are very difficult to clean and disinfect. Bacteria and other pathogenic agents “hide” in these surfaces (i.e., dirt flooring, porous mats) and can be present for long periods of time. They act as a potential source of infection for susceptible horses. Dirt floors cannot be completely cleaned. If the soil becomes contaminated with equine pathogens, the dirt must be removed and replaced to remove the risk of disease exposure. Organic material, including dirt, gravel, bedding decreases the effectiveness of disinfectants. Nonporous flooring is ideal as it can be washed and disinfected between horses, or if a disease outbreak occurs.

6) What kind of walls are in the majority of the stalls?

As with flooring, stall wall surfaces that are difficult to clean and disinfect can harbor infectious agents. Porous materials such as untreated wood and unsealed concrete are very difficult to clean completely. Sealing the surface can make thorough cleaning easier and more effective. Disinfectant selection is essential to protecting the surface and maintaining the surface as some products are corrosive and can damage metal surfaces.

7) On average, what percentage of resident horses are transported on and off the farm/facility annually where they will have contact with other horses?

The more often a horse travels from its home base, the more likely it is to encounter (and bring back) a disease/pathogen. Horses traveling to a facility (event or sale) with no health requirements have a greater risk of coming into contact with sick horses or horses shedding disease pathogens. There is less risk if the horses encountered are healthy and up to date on recommended vaccinations.

It is helpful to know the health status of any outside (non-resident) horses. This includes at a show, race, sale or other equine events. Take precautions to reduce the risk of disease introduction back at the home facility, including hand washing after handling horses, not sharing equipment between horses, and using your own buckets and feed tubs.

8) What types of horse contact occur on an average trip off of the resident farm/facility?

New and visiting horses to the farm/facility can pose a risk for disease introduction. Having requirements for certification of health status of new and visiting horses can reduce this risk. Knowing the health status of a horse’s facility of origin, and if visiting horses have been vaccinated and tested for diseases as recommended by their veterinarian, can be helpful. The larger the number of horses that enter the facility, the greater the chance of possible disease introduction.

9) On average, how many new horses (for training/shows, new boarders, breeding etc.) enter/visit the farm/facility each year? Please check the choice that best describes new horse entry.

Someone knowledgeable of the signs of infectious disease should examine all new horses on arrival. If signs of disease are present, the horse should not be unloaded unless there is a plan to prevent disease transmission. New arrivals should be kept separate from the home herd after arrival to decrease the risk for transmitting diseases. The period of time should be sufficient to determine they are from disease free. There are a number of factors that influence the length of the separation period – consult your veterinarian to identify an appropriate time. Upon arrival, keeping a horse in the same barn, paddock or pasture as the home herd can still lead to disease transmission. This transmission can be through indirect contact with other horses, movement of people and equipment between horses. Also, depending on the disease agent, shared feed/water or airspace in the barn can be sources of disease transmission.

10) What happens when a new horse arrives on the farm/facility?

Requiring a certificate of examination issued by a veterinarian within 3-5 days prior to arrival is recommended. Also, having your veterinarian perform an exam on arrival is ideal, plus asking for a past medical history, are the two most important things you can do when receiving a new horse onto a farm/facility. It is also important to have testing requirements for new arrivals that are recommended by your veterinarian and to have a record that the horses have received appropriate vaccinations.

11) What health requirements are necessary for a newly arriving horse?

Fever is often the first sign of infection. Signs such as diarrhea, cough or nasal discharge may follow. It is important to look for these signs. Monitoring and recording the horse’s temperature twice daily as well may allow any disease to be detected and investigated promptly. The normal temperature of horses can vary (adult horse at rest normal temperature – 37.5 – 38.5C (99.5 – 101.3F)). Taking prompt action if a new horse is found to have a fever or have other signs of illness, separating or isolating it from other horses will help to reduce the spread of an infectious diseases. Contacting your veterinarian for specific recommendations is important to limit the risk the horse might pose to other horses.

12) What best describes your situation?

Rabies is required to be administered by a veterinarian (Under the Health Protection and Promotion Act for horses in Canada). For other vaccines, an owner/agent may administer them UNLESS there is a program sponsored by the pharmaceutical company in which case they may require the vaccine is given by a veterinarian. Vaccines be properly stored and administered to be effective. Obtaining vaccines from a veterinarian would offer more assurance that the vaccines have been properly handled and recommended by the veterinarian.

13) Are your horses vaccinated annually with the American Association of Equine Practitioners recommended core vaccines (Rabies, Eastern & Western Equine Encephalomyelitis (EEE and WEE), West Nile Virus (WNV), and Tetanus)?

The AVMA (American Veterinary Medical Association) defines core vaccinations as those “that protect from diseases that are endemic to a region, those with potential public health significance, required by law, virulent/highly infectious, and/or those posing a risk of severe disease. Core vaccines have clearly demonstrated efficacy and safety, and thus exhibit a high enough level of patient benefit and low enough level of risk to justify their use in the majority of patients.” (Equine Disease Communication Center [EDCC])

14) Have you consulted with your veterinarian about the need to provide any of the risk based vaccines to your horses and followed their recommendations? i.e., Anthrax, Botulism, Equine Herpesvirus (Rhinopneumonitis), Equine Influenza, Equine Viral Arteritis, Leptospirosis, Potomac Horse Fever, Rotaviral Diarrhea, Snake Bite, Strangles, Venezuelan Equine Encephalomyelitis (VEE) (source: American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP) Guidelines)

These are vaccinations included in a vaccination program after the performance of a risk-benefit analysis. The use of risk-based vaccinations may vary regionally, from population to population within an area, or between individual horses within a given population. Disease risk may not be readily identified by laypersons; it is important to consult a veterinarian when developing a vaccination program (Equine Disease Communication Center [EDCC])

15) Do you work with a veterinarian to design a equine deworming program for your farm?

Intestinal parasites are best managed at the farm level. This would include a comprehensive plan for both deworming and manure handling since parasites can be spread when horses are out on paddocks/pastures. A plan for all the horses on the farm/facility should be developed. Removal of manure from common feeding and drinking areas is essential to decrease the parasite burden in the environment. Do not spread manure on horse pastures. Work closely with your veterinarian to determine an optimal parasite control program for the individual horses and farms/facilities. It is recommended that animals be screened routinely by fecal tests to ensure that the deworming program is effective. Parasite resistance to dewormers is a problem and is increasing.

16) Do you perform equine fecal (manure) tests to look for parasites on a routine basis?

It is recommended that animals be screened routinely by fecal tests to ensure that the deworming program is effective and to guide the judicious use of parasite treatment to help prevent resistance to deworming medications.

17) On average, how many people from outside the farm/facility visit the stable/barn per week (including service providers, i.e., veterinarians, workers, farriers, delivery personnel etc.)?

People and the equipment and vehicles they use, have the potential for transporting infectious agents (pathogens) to your horses. The more people that visit a facility, the greater the risk of disease introduction – especially if these people have contact with horses and are not taking precautions to reduce the risk of disease introduction.

18) What is the policy for check-in for those people?

Requiring visitors to check-in when they arrive at your horse farm/facility ensures that you will have no unwanted traffic and gives you the ability to refer back to the visitor’s log in case an outbreak of disease should occur.

19) Does the farm/facility have an insect control program?

Insects of various types can spread disease agents. The use of products to control insects on your horses and around your facility can reduce the horse’s exposure to the stress that heavy insect activity can create and reduce the risk that insects pose related to disease transmission. Frequent removal of manure and control of weeds and brush are important things you can do to control insects on your facility. To reduce the mosquito activity eliminate standing water on the premises to decrease mosquito-breeding sites. Certain diseases such as West Nile Virus and Eastern Equine Encephalitis cannot spread from horse to horse. Instead, horses are infected by mosquito bites. In addition, insects can cause your horses to be uncomfortable leading to stress that can make them more susceptible to disease in general.

20) Does the farm/stable have a rodent control program?

Rodents and other animals that are attracted to horse feed can carry pathogens that may contaminate feed, and result in transmission of disease agents to horses that consume the feed.

21) Is grain and pelleted feed stored in a sealed bin or other container that does not allow access by other animals, including birds and rodents?

It is a best practice to protect feed from contamination by rodents or birds. Use of sealed feed bins for grain and pallets to raise hay off the ground decrease rodent access.

22) Which types of forage do you feed your horses?

Botulism is caused by ingestion of potent neurotoxins produced by the soil-borne, spore-forming bacterium, Clostridium spp. which proliferates in decaying plant material and animal carcasses. Sources of botulism include improperly preserved hay or haylage, or silage or baled hay that contains an animal carcass. (Equine Disease Communication Center [EDCC])

23) Are caretakers trained in infection control practices (i.e., what to do if a horse is sick, hygiene between horses or groups of horses)?

When a horse on your facility becomes sick, be sure your staff knows to notify you immediately. Promptly contact your veterinarian to get advice on how to reduce the risk of disease spread. Seek their assistance in determining the cause of disease. To reduce the risk of spread of contagious disease, tend to the healthy horses first and the isolated sick horse last. Better yet, have a person dedicated solely to the care of the sick horse. After working with the sick horse, make sure you properly clean or disinfect your hands, footwear, and clothes. Keep a designated set of food and water containers that are only used with the sick horse. Do not share any equipment between the sick and healthy horses.

24) Is there a way for those contacting the horses to perform hand sanitization?

Functional and available sinks are an important part of hand sanitization. It is especially important for people to clean their hands between groups of horses, or after contact with a sick horse or after contact with horses or their manure/bedding. Some pathogens that affect horses may also make humans sick. Hands should be washed with soap and warm water or have an alcohol sanitizer applied to them if sinks are not available. Liquid soap is preferred as bar soaps can actually harbor some pathogens – particularly if they become soiled with organic debris. The soap bar itself can then act as a means of indirect transmission of pathogens from one person’s hands to another’s. Hand drying is an important part of the hand washing process and should not be completed. Re-use of cloth towels by more than one person can act as a means of indirect transmission of pathogens from one person to another. It is ideal if disposable paper towels or forced air dispenser hand drier are used.

25) Is there sharing of equipment between horses (i.e., blankets, brushes, tack, feed buckets)?

Pathogens can be transmitted indirectly from one horse to another through shared equipment like shared tack and grooming tools and wipe cloths.

26) Do horses share a common water source (tank/automatic waters/re-used buckets), even if housed separately?

Water buckets can be a means of indirect transmission of pathogens between horses, just like blankets and brushes. A common water trough (shared by horses) represents the same kind of risk. The more horses using the same source of water, especially constantly changing herds, increases the risk of disease transmission. Cleaning and disinfecting the common water trough between different horses, reduces risk of disease. Ideally, indoors, each horse should have their own designated water bucket.

27) In a situation either at home or away, and hoses are used to water horses, are they submerged into the bucket?

When water buckets are filled, the hose should not touch the bucket, as this can spread disease.

28) How is manure/bedding disposed of?

Manure should be removed from horse areas in to decrease the risk of transmission of infectious agents (pathogens) and to reduce insect activity. It is best to haul manure off the property to eliminate risk for pathogen transmission and reduce insect activity. If removal from the premises is not an option then manure can be composted to reduce pathogen load. Horses should not have access to the manure compost pile. If done correctly, composting can reduce fly breeding sites as well as kill parasites and pathogenic agents found in manure.

29) Is there a protocol for how horse areas (i.e., stalls, trailers, paddocks) are cleaned and disinfected?

Written protocols for disease prevention are the best way to ensure that everyone who has contact with horses is aware of the required procedures, and these protocols provide a reference in case anyone forgets or is unsure of what is expected. Protocols also allow you to share with your veterinarian what is being done for disease prevention, so modifications can be made based on possible disease occurrence, and the effectiveness of your protocols can be measured. Written protocols are most important on larger facilities, where multiple people may be performing horse and property care.

30) Is disinfectant used as part of the protocol to sanitize areas (i.e., stalls/trailers) when dealing with sick and/or new horses?

It is important to have a disinfectant (with written instructions) available when needed for sick or new horses. Make sure to clean your stall/trailer as often as possible between uses. That way any bacteria or viral agents that are on the surface are removed or inactivated (killed). This makes the stall/trailer safe before it is used in the future. It is best to clean out any bedding, wash surfaces with soap and water and then use a disinfectant on the walls and floor. Cleaning and disinfection of equipment such as buckets, tie straps, and feeders in the trailer is also important. This is to make sure all possible pathogenic agents are removed or inactivated (killed). Be certain to follow all label direction on products used to clean and disinfect the stall/trailer. (Cleaning & Disinfecting, co-sponsored by the EDCC and USEF (video))

31) How often do the horses receive veterinary examinations?

Early detection of health problems, whether they are infectious diseases or not, allows your horse to be treated sooner. It allows you to manage the situation to reduce risk of spread of disease. It is best to promptly contact your veterinarian in order to develop a plan for disease control. In general, a healthy horse is more resistant to infectious diseases.

32) What would you do if your horse developed a runny nose?

There are a large number of conditions that can cause a runny nose in a horse. Some are caused by contagious bacteria and viruses (pathogens) that can spread from horse to horse, while others are not. A good first step is to isolate the sick horse. When calling your veterinarian, get advice on what to do until they arrive. Your veterinarian needs to be consulted to help determine if the horse poses a potential risk to others. Waiting to call your veterinarian may result in your horse’s condition getting worse. The longer a horse that is sick with an infectious disease is kept in the general population, the higher the risk of disease spread.

33) Are there farm/facility rules regarding when a veterinarian must be called or when horses must be isolated when they are sick?

Written protocols should be developed so that everyone is aware of what to do if a horse is ill, so anyone can refer to the protocols if there is ever any question about how to proceed. These protocols should be developed in consultation with your veterinarian. For large facilities that are likely to have a large number of employees it is important to not only have an infection plan, but to write it down so that everyone can comply with the protocols. (Equine Disease Communication Center [EDCC])

34) When would isolate a horse?

If there are health concerns, the best practice is to isolate a horse(s) and consult a veterinarian. The best practice to minimize suffering of the horse and protect other horses from potential disease is to establish criteria for identifying an ill horse. These criteria are “trigger points” for taking additional actions.

35) Are horses that are suspected of having a contagious disease isolated from other horses on the farm/facility?

Isolation is one of the most beneficial ways of preventing contagious infectious disease agents from spreading to other horses on a facility. Personnel and horse owners should be educated on proper procedures to follow if a horse on the facility is sick or confirmed to have a contagious disease. When a horse is in isolation, there should be communication about the plan in place to prevent any possible cross-contamination from the sick horse to other horses. If a horse with a contagious disease is not isolated, the risk for spread of disease increases exponentially, and could lead to an outbreak of disease that could impact many horses or spread to horses on other facilities. (Equine Disease Communication Center [EDCC])

36) What best describes the isolation facilities?

The farther away a horse can be kept from other horses the better. Having a separate barn or paddock with shelter that is not used for other horses is ideal. It is important along with the separation, that protocols for people movement be used as well, as solely physical isolation of the horse doesn’t negate the risk of infectious disease spread.

37) When managing sick horses, personnel at the farm/facility do the following…

Caregivers of horses and farms or facilities are ultimately responsible in ensuring the health and well-being of their horses including establishing and following biosecurity management practices. Personnel, boots, and equipment may all spread infectious disease.