Improving Biosecurity with Horses

Jul 30, 2011
Chris Thomas

Double Fencing is a Great Biosecurity Measure - C. Thomas

With Hendra being prevalent in the news in Australia, the question of hygiene and horses should be seriously considered. Biosecurity is important.

The zoonotic disease commonly termed Hendra, has been making headlines recently in Australia. Initially recognised in 1994, Hendra resulted in the death of horses and handlers. There are not many diseases in Australia that can be passed from horses to humans, but in all cases of animal health, hygiene and care should be considered.

Health Management Practices

There are some fairly common practices that should be employed consistently on horse farms. These include the use of gloves when treating wounds and the washing of hands after treating any horses. This can help to stop the spread of anything that is contagious between horses, as well as prevent people from catching diseases, such as the fungal infection ringworm that can be passed from horse to human.

Feed rooms, tack rooms and other stable areas should be kept tidy and well swept. This will help to minimise issues with:

Rats
Mice
Other vermin that can lower hygiene levels or damage tack

Such animals can be vectors for disease, carrying in bacteria or viruses that can infect horses through droppings. It hasn’t been proven at this point, but it is believed that the Hendra virus is passed on to horses by them eating or grazing areas that have been contaminated by bat urine.

With this in mind, it is advised that any horses that are housed near areas that are populated by bats, be considered carefully with regards to the management and handling of horses. For example, avoiding feeding horses under fruit trees or other trees that bats are commonly known to inhabit, would be well worth the effort. This will help to minimise horses potentially ingesting food that has been contaminated by bat urine or faeces.

Establish a Routine

When working to keep areas clean and hygienic, establish a routine. Stables and feed and tack rooms may be swept out daily, whilst other practices such as the checking of traps and laying out bait may be done on particular days. Whatever the case, a routine will help to ensure that nothing is missed and good health management practices are carried out on a regular basis.

Keeping Horses Separate

Any new horse to a property should be placed in quarantine and observed for up to a couple of weeks before introducing to other 'on farm horses'. This is good biosecurity practice. For horses that are recognised as ill, these too should be isolated, observed and treated. It can be a good practice to assign one worker to look after this horse so that the potential spread of infection is kept to a minimum. Such horses should be treated last to avoid passing on any pathogens to other healthy horses.

The spread of infectious diseases – zoonotic or not – is of great concern to any horse owner. Good health management practices can assist in keeping potential issues to a minimum.