If you’ve read a little bit about Amy and Tommy, the husband-and-wife duo who founded Thorpe Farm Rehab and Fitness, then you’ll know their background is in running both racing and competition yards. That means they know the vital importance of yard biosecurity in keeping horses healthy and managing the risk of an infectious equine disease. Of course, yards where horses are traveling offsite to compete virtually every day or new horses seem to arrive every week are most at risk – and that includes us here at Thorpe Farm.
Horses are coming and going from the yard all the time to use the water treadmill, our TheraPlate and the salt therapy chamber. The gallops and cross-country field mean that horses are boxed here regularly and while they don’t always come to the yard, some owners tack on a water treadmill session after their ride. We also have regular equine visitors here for holiday or rehab livery, as well as our full-time liveries and our own horses who head out to compete. While we love seeing so many different horses and supporting their health and fitness, it means we’ve had to put thorough biosecurity protocols in place.
Here are some of our top tips, using everything we’ve learnt about yard biosecurity. They will help you prevent the introduction of diseases in the first place and control the spread of any infection if they do occur. There’s never a better time to start paying attention to equine health in your yard, as the end of summer will be here before we know it. For many horses that means more time spent in the stable and heading to competitions held in indoor arenas – both mean a higher risk of sharing air with a poorly horse.
Keep the yard clean
Basic stable management practices all have their roots in keeping horses safe – for example, sweeping the yard isn’t just to make it look tidy, it means you can see if there are stones, nails or other hazards on the floor. The same goes for disease management! Making sure troughs, feed buckets, grooming brushes and shared tack are regularly and thoroughly cleaned will help prevent the spread of disease as well as keeping things looking neat.
Level up cleaning with fogging
There are some fantastic tools out there to keep the surfaces in your yard free from nasty viruses and bacteria. We use the brilliant Equine Bio Genie (https://www.equine-bio-genie.co.uk/) around the stables, water treadmill and all the other communal areas. It’s a non-toxic dry mist which is fogged into the areas being cleaned so it works its way into every nook and cranny to eradicate viruses and bacteria which could be lurking there.
Implement isolation routines
If you have a new horse coming to live at the yard, it’s a good idea to isolate them from the rest of the horses – that could be for a week or up to 21 days. Make sure you check their passport and ensure they’ve had all their jabs before you unload them. Then, use separate grooming kits, tack, feed and water buckets and yard equipment and wash your hands after handling them.
Have a set of kit for show-day
If your horse is out competing a lot, then there’s a chance they could encounter horses carrying disease. Make sure you take your own buckets, sponges, hay nets and so on which are just for ‘off-site’ use and disinfect everything when you come home. We also advise that you avoid letting your horse go nose to nose with another horse and wash your hands frequently during the day, especially if you help other riders with their horse.