Good Practices For Bio-Security In Stables

Recently, we’ve seen avian flu becoming a serious problem in regions around the country – and whilst this doesn’t affect horses, we should use the recurrence of this issue as a reminder of what can happen if we do not uphold the correct and most effective biosecurity procedures in places where both animals and humans gather.

Whilst some of these measures may seem obvious, like staying up to date with vaccinations and segregating other horses that are unwell, there are a few factors that you may not have even thought about. This could include the way you store horse feeds to ensure they do not run the risk of being contaminated, and ensuring your visitors know your safety protocols. Read on as we take a closer look at biosecurity and a few of the best practices.

What is biosecurity?

Biosecurity refers to the measures that farmers, horse owners, and anyone that looks after animals should have in place to stop the spread of a range of diseases. It’s used as infection control within the area where you’re keeping the animals, especially if  visitors are coming and going regularly. Several benefits come with implementing enhanced biosecurity into your yard, with one of the most obvious being that it can help reduce the chance of disease spreading. But it can also allow you to remain operating smoothly which may be essential if you’re running a business like a farm or riding school. It also helps you when it comes to early detection so you can stop the further spread. Read on as we look at some of the best ways in which you can implement biosecurity in your stables.

Segregation 

It’s essential that you monitor your horses when they’re in the stable, especially if you have some horses that travel for shows regularly. You should try and segregate your horses into groups that are used for the same activity or are at the same stage of life. For example, you should keep your travelling and show horses separate from your residents if at all possible. Your travelling horses may be more likely to pick up a disease, and this way means your whole stable can avoid becoming unwell.

Visitors

When running a stable, you may have visitors such as farriers, vets and trainers coming in and out throughout the day. You should make sure that  your visitors know that you expect them to wash their hands before and after visiting the yard. This will make it less likely that they’re carrying any potential threats, keeping themselves and your stable safe. As well as this, you should ask people to use hand sanitiser if they are directly handling your horse. You should also keep this in mind if riding or tending to someone else’s horse too.

Disinfect equipment

Ideally every horse should have its own tack and equipment but sometimes this isn’t practical and things have to be shared. It’s essential that you don’t use the same equipment on one horse that another has used without thoroughly cleaning and disinfecting it first. You should make sure you do this with saddle cloths, towels, and halters – making sure you wash and dry them thoroughly. If you frequently attend shows, you should make sure that you disinfect your bits, bridles, and grooming supplies before using them on other horses too. These cleaning and disinfecting methods should also include cleaning your horse boxes and trailers thoroughly between uses. Doing this simply allows you to reduce the chance of illness being passed around from horse to horse, which is particularly important at shows. You may even want to invest in a vehicle wash so that all vehicles coming to the yard can be disinfected.

Pest control measures

When running a stable, an essential best practice in biosecurity is ensuring you have measures in place to deal with birds, rodents, and insects that can all carry disease. One of the best ways to do this is to ensure your horse’s food is stored correctly and off the floor to reduce the chance of rodents and birds trying to find a tasty snack! You can also implement bird netting to help reduce nesting in your stables. In the summer, you may also need to use insect repellent that is safe for stable use to avoid irritating insects. As our climate changes and more insects migrate into the UK, these measures may become even more vital.