If Your Horse Boarding Facility Doesn't Adhere to These Three Rules, Your Horse Could be at Risk.
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1. DO YOU REQUIRE A CURRENT COGGINS TEST BEFORE ACCEPTING A HORSE, AND DO YOU REQUIRE ANNUAL COGGINS TESTS?
Coggins test is a test for equine infectious anemia, an incurable and highly contagious equine disease. The infection is usually transferred among horses through insect bites (e.g., horse flies). Once infected, the only usual recourse is quarantine or euthanasia. If your horse training and boarding facility is lax about requiring current Coggins test (less than one year old), your horse is at risk. In our experience, new boarders sometimes show up without a Coggins and then demand that the horse be accepted anyway. The usual excuse is that they have it somewhere, they just don’t happen to have it on them but they will get it for you “right away”. The best thing a facility owner can do at that point is refuse to accept the horse. That is the only way the owner can ensure that the horses already in the barn are safeguarded. Coggins tests should be repeated annually in most parts of the country, particularly for horses that travel to shows. Even if your horse doesn’t compete at shows, other horses in the barn might.
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2. DO YOU REQUIRE A VACCINATION RECORD (OR HEALTH CERTIFICATE SIGNED BY A VETERINARIAN) FOR NEW HORSES, AND BI-ANNUAL VACCINATIONS FOR BOARDED HORSES?
Vaccination protocols for horses can be found at the American Association of Equine Practitioners. Vaccinations are especially important for diseases that are easily communicated among horses, such as Equine Herpes Virus (EV4/1) and West Nile disease. As many of you may knows, the show season in Florida was cancelled a few years ago due to an outbreak of EHV. Some horses died as a result of this outbreak, including a Grand Prix horse. If you want to give your horse the best horse care, be sure to stay current on vaccinations and that the horses at your horse boarding facility do the same.
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3. DO YOU REQUIRE THAT BOARDED HORSES SHOW EVIDENCE OF REGULAR DEWORMING AND FECAL EGG COUNT TESTS?
It is difficult to keep horses parasite-free, but conducting fecal egg counts and deworming is currently the best way to manage this threat to equine health. Your barn should require a fecal egg count test before accepting a new horse into the facility, and all horses should be tested and treated according to the guidelines put forth by the Association of American Equine Practitioners. You can read more about that here: Deworming
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Happy Riding!
As long as you’re here, check these out!
Equestrian Products That Make Your Riding and Horse Care Easier and Better!
Twelve Things to Consider Before Deciding to Keep Your Horse at Home
Copyright Denise Cummins, PhD March 2009; updated June 12, 2024
The Thinking Equestrian
As long as you’re here, check these out!
Equestrian Products That Make Your Riding and Horse Care Easier and Better!
Twelve Things to Consider Before Deciding to Keep Your Horse at Home
Copyright Denise Cummins, PhD March 2009; updated June 12, 2024
The Thinking Equestrian
