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.
• Learning Center Video:  Development of an Isolation Plan
• Learning Center Video:  Implementation of an Isolation Plan

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 the Equine Health team at [email protected].

• 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.
• 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.
• Veterinarian Registration - GR 843: Veterinarians treating horses on competition grounds to register with the Federation, though it does not mandate they become US Equestrian members. The link to the veterinarian registration can be found here: https://www.usef.org/vet-registration 
• Equine Vaccination Requirements - GR 845: All horses, more than 7 months of age, entering the competition grounds must be accompanied by documentation of Equine Influenza Virus and Equine Herpesvirus (Rhinopneumonitis) vaccinations within six months prior to entering the stables. Horses not in compliance with this rule may be required to leave the competition grounds upon request by Competition Management. 
• Competitor Biosecurity Requirements - GR 870: All riders, drivers, vaulters, handlers, owners, trainers, coaches, grooms, agents and lessors must abide by and comply with biosecurity measures and equine health requirements imposed by the Federation, Competition Management, and local, state, and federal animal health officials. 
• Competition Management Biosecurity Requirements - GR 871: Competition Management must ensure licensed competitions are conducted in accordance with all applicable Federation, local, state, and federal animal health requirements.
• Isolation Plan - GR 874: All competitions are required to have an isolation protocol in place and submitted to the Federation no later than 14 days prior to the start of the competition.
• Microchip Requirement - GR 1101: All horses competing in USEF licensed or endorsed competitions must be microchipped with a 15-digit ISO compliant 11784/11785 chip.
• Mandatory Febrile Horse Reporting- GR 873: Competitions must report the following to the Federation's Equine Health and Biosecurity Veterinarian, Dr. Katie Flynn, at 859-225-6991: 

  • unexplained temperature over 101.5^oF

  • Any horse that departs the competition grounds to receive treatment for a potentially infectious disease

  • Any horse placed in isolation on the competition grounds, or

  • Any horse identified to competition management as showing signs of infectious disease,