The
Centerline
Arizona Dressage Association
www.azdressage.org
R
Vol. 21, Issue 3
March 2021
Best Practices
ecently, a case of EHV-1 (neurological) was reported in Ocala, Florida. The USEF is working closely with the Florida Department of Agriculture and state authorities who are completing contact tracing and identifying the potential source of the virus exposure. The affected horse is in isolation at a vet clinic and horses who may have potentially been exposed have been quarantined. As with all contagious diseases, there are some best practices you can implement that can greatly reduce the spread of disease on your farm and while at competitions. Follow these guidelines: • Have an isolation plan in place for all new horses and any horses exhibiting illness. • For a sick horse, take a temperature twice daily and maintain a temperature log. • Isolate horses at the first sign of symptoms or illness. • Horses with a fever about 101.5-102.5°F should isolate in separate facilitates. • Keep separate buckets, brushes, and tack/equipment for each horse. • Use appropriate sanitizing solutions for equipment that must be shared. • Eliminate communal or shared water troughs and buckets. • Practice hand washing when handling multiple horses. • Limit nose to nose contact between horses. • Ensure your horse is current on all its vaccinations. • Take note of any clinical signs of illness and contact your veternarian immediately if you suspect your horse is ill. More information on disease prevention can be found on the USEF website.