Healthy and safe travels
Q I regularly transport my horse to shows. What hygiene measures should I take when he’s stabled somewhere else? Karen Woodcock, Cheltenham A Travelling to a show should be a fun experience for both you and your horse, but to avoid coming home with unwanted diseases it’s a good idea to stick to the following:
1 First, make sure your horse’s vaccinations are up to date before you travel and that you have his passport with you.
2 The major biosecurity risks occur where horses are in direct contact with each other, or with stables and equipment that haven’t been properly cleaned between groups of horses. For this reason, you may want to avoid sharing transport with horses from another yard, unless they’re as scrupulous as you.
3 If possible bring your own hay and water, and avoid communal water troughs as bacteria survives very nicely in water for short periods, so this is an easy way for infection to spread. If you can’t bring your own water, try to get it from a tap rather than a trough that may
be contaminated by horses drinking, or by other people’s buckets.
4 Make sure the stable you are moving into is clean and the bedding is fresh. Avoid stables that are dirty or yet to be mucked out. Having your own disinfectant will allow you to keep your equipment clean for the duration of the show, and always wash your hands after being in contact with other horses.
5 Nose-to-nose contact should be avoided at a show. Of course your horse will want to make friends with his neighbours, but many diseases are spread by direct contact, coughing and nasal discharge, so keep your distance as far as possible.
6 When you return home, you may want to isolate your horse for a period of time before turning him back out with the group. This allows any diseases to incubate before coming into contact with his friends again.