Keeping horses healthy at a competition is everyone’s responsibility. Competition managers must implement biosecurity rules and protocols specific to their event to protect the horses and the venue from potential equine infectious disease threats such as influenza, equine herpesvirus or strangles bacteria. This includes a plan for isolating a sick horse.
Competitors must ensure the horses entering the grounds are healthy and continue to monitor the health of the horses throughout the competition. In addition, competitors are responsible for practicing good biosecurity while at the event to best protect their horses in the event a disease pathogen enters the event grounds.
Beginning December 1, 2024, under GR 874, competition managers are required to upload isolation plans 14 days prior to the start of the competition. Isolation plans are to be completed using the Isolation Plan Template on the Federation’s website or can be submitted through the Competition Manager’s Dashboard. Isolation plans must be printed and posted on the showgrounds.
Best Practices for Equine Biosecurity:
• Healthy Horse Entry Requirements:
· Health certificate or Health Declaration declaring no clinical signs and temperature below 101.5°F for 3-5 days prior to the event.
· Negative Coggins test within the prior 12 months
· Vaccination within the prior 6 months for Equine Influenza and Equine Herpesvirus (Rhinopneumonitis) (Per USEF GR 845)
• Plan for sick horses to be well isolated on the property (isolation area)
• Protocols for managing sick or horses with fever (temperature over 101.5°F):
· Mandatory reporting of horses with temperature over 101.5°F to official veterinarian (USEF GR 873)
· Immediate isolation or removal of a horse with an unexplained fever (temperature over 101.5°F)
· Require diagnostic testing at owner expenses of a suspected case of infectious disease
• Inspection of horses prior to entry to the stabling area to ensure health status
• Routine cleaning and disinfection of stalls with appropriate disinfectant for the type of stall material
• Maintain separation of boarders from competition horses
• Remove or limit sources of communal water
• Limit horse-to-horse contact via stalls or in common areas on the competition grounds
• Avoid sharing of equipment unless it is cleaned and disinfected between uses
Importance of Biosecurity
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
Support
Questions related to submitting isolation plans, determining if an isolation plan is needed for a competition and all other isolation items should be directed to the Equine Health Team at [email protected].
