Barn Biosecurity

Editors Note: Due to the nature of my new employment, I have been learning a lot about animal biosecurity. Once you start to look at all of the places our horses go, it's really amazing that we don't have more trouble with communicable disease than we do! This article was edited from a press release published on The Horse e-newsletter. I am certainly not advocating ALL of these steps be taken on every farm, but at least you will know what to do should there be a reported disease outbreak in your area...a perfect example was the EHV outbreak on the FL show circuit last winter!

Simple Biosecurity Techniques Help Protect Horses from Disease Threats

In recent years, the months of the show season have included news of disease outbreaks that can pose a threat to the health of performance horses. More and more, horse owners are searching for simple and effective techniques to help protect their horses from these threats year round.

Knowledge and practice of basic biosecurity has become critical for horse health. Whether traveling, accepting new horses into a facility, or performing day-to-day tasks around the farm, an eye to sanitation and disinfection--as well as proper vaccinations and veterinary care--will help assure a healthy environment.

"When traveling, owners should be sure to maintain proof of vaccination for all of their horses, as well as an up-to-date Coggins test," said Robert Holland, DVM, PhD, senior veterinarian at Pfizer Animal Health. "It's also a good idea to keep daily temperature logs for your horses--particularly if they show signs of upper respiratory infections or other disease markers."

When at show ground or event, attendees should avoid taking their horses to common water or feed areas. They should also avoid sharing water buckets, lip chains, feed tubs, halters, or other items that might touch a horse's mouth, nose, or eyes. If you have to share items, be sure to follow proper sanitation and disinfection techniques first. In addition, any horse that shows signs of being unwell should be isolated as quickly as possible.

In order to properly disinfect equipment and tack, it's important to first remove all excess debris or dirt from the item. Then, wash the equipment in a detergent, such as laundry or dish soap and rinse with clean water. Follow this by filling a bucket with properly mixed, commercially available disinfectant and dipping the items into the disinfectant solution. Be sure to rinse them with clean water at least twice after disinfection. Keep in mind that disinfection might be needed on items such as halters, lip chains, grooming equipment, shovels, and pitchforks. Stall walls and flooring can be treated in the same manner as needed.

A simple disinfection solution in a shallow basin used as a footbath can also allow staff to clean their shoes when entering or leaving the barn area. Hand sanitizers can help to curb the cross contamination that often occurs between horses as staff move from one horse to another during the day.

Of course, a carefully designed vaccination program, created in cooperation with a veterinarian, is one of the best means of helping horses remain healthy during the show season, and throughout the year.

Falling Auf

I don't watch much TV these days, when I do have some TV time I really enjoy Project Runway on Bravo. I love Heidi Klum. She's gorgeous, and she's soo damn German. I love it when they pan to her face during the runway show. Her critiques and facial expressions are hilarious because they are so similar to facial expressions and the obviously toned down criticsm I've recieved from German riding instructors.

I should write Ms. Klum a letter urging her to start riding dressage. Or at least to work with a riding instructor as a mouth peice. She's perfect for the job!

Special Event!

The Lipizzaner Stallions are returning to Lincoln! Performance of their world famous show will be held at the Pershing Auditorium in Lincoln on May 1st and 2nd at 7:30 both nights. Tickets range from $20.50 to $27.50 and are available through Ticketmaster, or at the Pershing Auditorium box office.

Going to see this show is a great way to introduce your friends to the concepts of Dressage. I always enjoy the Quadrille work! It is so impressive to see the horses and riders work together in such harmony.

We're Back...AGAIN

Deepest apologies to the readership of the Barn Blog for the dry spell on our little site! It's been a busy couple of months for your bloggers, but now with things (aka Margo's brain) settling into new routines the Barn Blog will march on in glorious fashion once more!

I Think We'll Live

One of the great joys of horse ownership is realizing how "scary" common every day items truly are to your equine. A hose being drug through the arena, ladders against a wall, flower boxes, and fire. On Saturday morning I introduced Dobby to the notion of the "open flame." I'm happy to tell all of you, we both survived.

Initially, Dobby had his reservations. I mean, it's this flaming crackling thing with smoke. WEIRD! SCARY! He was jittery, but after about 15 min of riding with the fire burning in the pit outside he gave up the spooking, and surrendered to his curiosity. After a good long gander out the arena doors we moved on and had a nice quiet ride.

I'm a big believer in scaring the hell out of your horse. If I could find someone with a cannon, or a flame thrower I'd absolutely have them shoot the thing off while I was working with my horse. It's great for our partners to encounter new and different things, just as it is wonderful for we humans to travel and experience new and exciting things. It is my opinion that a "worldly" horse is a horse who has lead a full life, one who is assured of himself and can move through many sitations with ease.

What I'm leaving out here, is that depending on ths situation: the lawn chair, hose, ladder, open flame might be terrifying not only to the horse, but the rider as well. What we have to remember as riders in such situations, is that we are smart logical bipeds, who are very familiar with such things. By golly, we invented them! We've all felt the horror in the moment when our horse stops listening to us, and starts to hear only his instincts to run. It's okay, small circle...don't worry! Your horse should trust you enough to know when you are confident and secure standing next to a burning fire, he can be too.

Worst comes to worst, get off and look at the "monster" but don't give in to the fear. Ride away from the thing, and creep closer as your partner regains his confidence. There is no other situation in our human lives in which we would allow a garden hose to ruin our activity. Keep that thought close to you as your horse learns to trot over the hose, and when you hang your winter coat over that ladder against the wall.