Simple biosecurity steps to implement on yards:

Quarantine:

• Who? Any new horse brought onto the yard. Any horse returning from equine events.
• How long for? At least 2 weeks.
• Where? Physically separated from other horses in either a dedicated isolation stable block or field. Ideally at distances of 10-20m to reduce airborne spread of disease / infection.

Contact with horses in quarentine should be isolated to one individual where possible. Horses in quarentine should have their own equipment (ie grooming kit, mucking out equipment) to avoid direct transmission of bacterial and viral agents.

Vaccination:

• Keep horses' vaccinations up to date. For more information on vaccinations and how they work, please see our section on VACCINATIONS and EQUINE INFLUENZA. 

Disinfect:

• Disinfect boots and change outdoor clothing after visiting other yards.
• Place foot dips at the entrance of each yard.

Equipment:

• Where possible, each horse should have its own equipment on a yard to avoid spread of pathogens from horse to horse (ie grooming kits).

Isolate:

• Isolate any un-well horses as soon as clinical signs are noticed and call your vet. Horses should be isolated in separate buildings / blocks where possible.

Further advice:

• The Animal Health Trust (AHT) has put together some simple steps to implement at home and at events in response to the EHV outbreak in Hampshire in January 2020, which is a useful guide in general to keep your horse as safe as possible with regards to infectious diseases. Please see HERE to see their guide on biosecurity.