Biosecurity is not one-size-fits-all. Biosecurity plans should be customized for each property to take into account all aspects that can affect horse health. Below are links to resources that can help you customize your biosecurity plan, as well as tips on how to keep your facility or property disease free.
To determine the risk of infectious disease spread use this Biosecurity Risk Calculator provided by Equine Guelph. Once completed, you will also be provided with specific recommendations to improve biosecurity on your property.
Here are our general recommendations for a biosecurity program:
Allow only healthy horses to enter the property. Require confirmation of veterinary inspection from an accredited veterinarian dated within the past 14 days for all new arrivals. All horses should be required to be vaccinated
Examine all new arrivals for signs of contagious disease.
Isolate new arrivals to prevent contact with resident horses. The period of isolation should be 7 to 14 days for horses arriving from a facility with minimal perceived risk.
Immediately Isolate any horse on the property suspected of having a contagious disease, such as respiratory infection, diarrhea or fever of unknown origin.
Vaccinate all resident horses. Use a veterinary consultation to include core and risk-based vaccines.
All horses on the property should be observed daily for signs of infectious disease.
Separate pregnant mares from all other horses on the property, especially horses that travel frequently to other equine venues (e.g., shows, racetracks, etc.).
Vehicles and people are potential sources of infectious organisms. Control access of visitors on your property to areas where they would have minimal contact with horses. For key personnel that need to have access to horses, have protocols in place to minimize the risk they pose.
Use separate/dedicated equipment such as halters, lead ropes and blankets for each horse. Clean shared equipment and disinfect prior to use between horses (remove loose material, then appropriately clean, rinse, dry and disinfect).
More information on biosecurity