Bio-security – keeping your horses healthy at shows

With the AEC’s coming up and the fall show season fast approaching now is a great time to freshen up on some bio-security tips to keep your horse happy and healthy at the shows.

1.    Make sure to keep your horses up to date on vaccines and always keep a record of when they were done.

2.    Make sure all horses have a negative Coggins.

3.    Make sure you don’t bring any sick horses to the show grounds. Keep an eye on any signs of sickness the few days before you leave such as fever, or diarrhea.

4.    Know your horse’s baseline temperature so you can take it at least once a day while on the show grounds.

5.    Clean and disinfect stalls on the show grounds. You can buy disinfectant at most equine stores.

6.    Don’t let horses touch noses and make sure to limit your horse’s exposure to other animals.

7.    Do not share feed and water buckets. Make sure you disinfect them before and after the show.

8.    Don’t submerge the hose in the bucket while filling waters.

9.    Don’t share bits unless they have been disinfected before you go to use it.