Everyone’s focus is to keep competition horses healthy. However, traveling and commingling horses at a competition ground is not without risk. There is no way to eliminate all risk from a competition ground, but following core biosecurity principles significantly reduce the risk of disease introduction and spread. Competition staff can reduce risk by focusing efforts on the following:

• Restricting horse contact with other animals, humans, and equipment.
• Cleaning and disinfecting equipment and common areas.
• Isolating and removing sick horses.

Equine Health and Biosecurity Responsibilities

To ensure equine health and healthy competition grounds, the United States Equestrian Federation has implemented the highlighted general rules listed below. For assistance with questions or concerns related to these rules contact USEF Sr. Staff Veterinarian for Equine Health and Biosecurity at [email protected] or call 859-225-6991.

• Onsite Veterinarian Requirement - GR 1211: Every competition with rated or non-rated divisions or sections with 300 horses or greater to have an official veterinarian present onsite. (Breeds and disciplines may require lower threshold.) Competitions without a veterinarian onsite must have an agreement with veterinarian to be on call.
• Prize List Listing of Veterinarian - GR 901: The name and phone number of veterinarian must be listed in the prize list if not known it must state where information will be posted. Competition management to provide to the federation designated veterinarian contact no less than 7 days prior to the start of the competition.
• Written Isolation Plan - GR 845: All competitions are required to have an isolation protocol in place and submitted to steward or technical delegate prior to the start of the competition.
• Mandatory Sick Horse Reporting- GR 845: Competitions must report within 24 hours:
  • Any horse identification to the competition management as showing signs of infectious disease.
  • Any horse put into isolation on the competition grounds, or any horse that departs the competition grounds to receive treatment for a potentially infectious disease
• Horse/Pony Collapse Reporting - GR 849: Steward/TD Mandatory reporting to competition management within one hour of horse/pony collapse and submit report form to the federation within 24 hours. 
  • Steward/TD shall  ensure any horse/pony which has collapsed is subjected to drug and medication testing.