Learning Center

Get Biosecurity Resources in Learning Center by Leslie Potter

Biosecurity measures are important both at competitions and at a horse or pony’s home facility.

US Equestrian’s digital Learning Center has video and text information that can help you protect your horse

A recent equine herpesvirus-1 outbreak in California has turned attention to biosecurity measures that can help protect horses from EHV and other illnesses. US Equestrian has resources that are helping equestrians take precautionary biosecurity measures at home and at competitions, including the free video “Biosecurity Measures for Horses at Home and at Competitions,” toolkits and information about biosecurity best practices, and other links.

Biosecurity practices are preventive measures that help avoid transmission of infectious disease in livestock. They’re important both for horses who travel to competitions—where they gather with other horses and are at higher risk for contracting an illness—as well as for those at boarding or training facilities who don’t regularly travel but might come into contact with horses arriving from locations where they might have been exposed to illness.

Visit usef.org/learn and scroll down to the Safety and Welfare category to access the free video “Biosecurity Measures for Horses at Home and at Competitions.”

You’ll also find a range of downloadable resources, including: • USEF’s guide to biosecurity best practices • A biosecurity toolkit for equine events, developed by the California Department of Food and Agriculture’s Animal Health

Branch • A checklist of supplies to have for an isolation area or protocol • A printable vaccination record for documentation of equine influenza and equine herpesvirus vaccination • A link to USEF’s GR8 Equine Vaccination Rule • A link to the Equine Disease Communications Center, which reports real-time information about infectious and vectorborne equine diseases

For more information about equine herpesvirus, be sure to check out the online Equestrian Weekly archive for the story “Equine Herpesvirus: What You Need To Know.” And for advice on traveling safely with your horse, including information about vaccination and staying up to date on disease incidents, visit the Equestrian Weekly archive for the article “Road Trip: Preparing Your Horse for Travel.”