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Equine Athlete
Risk management
Preventing the spread of COVID-19 at farms
Courtesy of American Association of Equine Practitioners
Keep space between horses used by different people so social distancing can be maintained.
HORSE OWNERS know that you can’t take a break from feeding horses or mucking out stalls despite holidays, bad weather or even a pandemic outbreak. With that in mind, it is not unusual for equestrian facilities to have multiple essential workers coming and going, including caretakers, veterinarians, shoers, feed delivery people and manure removal personnel. Polo facilties also may have several people coming to keep horses exercised. Still, in today’s world of coronavirus, there are precautions you can take to minimize the risk of spreading the disease.
The American Association of Equine Practitioners Infectious Disease Committee recently published ways to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in equestrian facilities.
Facility Personnel
• Restrict access to boarding facility to essential personnel (veterinarians, farriers, equine caretakers, trainers and essential owners. • Prohibit non-essential persons (students, friends, family members) from entering the facility. • Stay 6 feet apart from other people and do not congregate • Do not allow access to the facility to anyone who has been exposed to a person with symptoms of COVID-19 (cough, shortness of breath or fever) or if the person wanting access is showing symptoms of COVID-19. You can view the CDC’s guidance on
COVID-19 symptoms at cdc.gov. • Limit crosstie use to every other crosstie. • Use an online sign-up form to encourage horse owners to commit to an hour that they will be riding or visiting the barn, and limit each time slot to ensure that no more than 10 people are on the grounds at a time.
Facility Environment
• Please do not touch anything unless you need to use it. • Avoid sharing equipment and supplies between persons. • The virus can persist on non-porous materials (leather bridles/saddles/halters, nylon halters/lead ropes, gate latches, door handles, spray nozzles) longer than porous materials (cotton lead ropes, saddle pads). • Clean communal leather tack daily with tack cleaner. • Disinfect gate latches, spray nozzles, cross tie snaps, pitchforks, wheelbarrows and other frequently used non-porous surfaces regularly or after contact with personnel. • Stall door handles, hose ends, light switches and feed scoops are handled by many people and should also be cleaned and disinfected frequently. • Only designated individuals (trainers/staff) are to move and set jumps or other arena equipment. • Prohibit the shared use of grooming supplies, helmets and tack as these may be sources of environmental transmission of COVID-19 to other humans.
• Although there is no evidence that horses can contract or become ill from COVID-19, practice good hygiene by washing your hands with soap and water for a minimum of 20 seconds or using a >60% alcohol hand sanitizer after touching a horse, communal areas or communal equipment to prevent environmental spread of the virus. Hand sanitizers is not as effective as soap and water, so only use when there is no soap and water available and hands are not visibly soiled.
A barn safety flyer in both Spanish (next page) and English (page 20) is provided by the American Association of Equine Practitioners and the Equine Disease Communication Center. They can be copied, printed out and posted in your barn.
What is Equine Coronavirus?
The equine coronavirus (ECoV) and COVID-19 (SARS-CoV2) are two distinct RNA viruses. ECoV can cause gastrointestinal disease in horses with signs of fever, depression, diarrhea and colic. ECoV is spread by fecal contamination from horse to horse or from contact with items contaminated with feces. Biosecurity measures and isolation should be implemented in horses that have or are suspected to have ECoV.
For more information about ECoV, see the Equine Coronavirus factsheet on the opposite page or go to: vet.cornell.edu/animal-health-diagnosticcenter/ veterinary-support/disease-information/ equine-enteric-coronavirus
Can COVID-19 affect horses?
To date, there is no evidence that COVID-19 causes disease in horses. There is also no evidence that horses can be a source of COVID-19 infection in people. However, because animals can spread other diseases to people and people can also spread diseases to animals by contact, it is a good idea to always wash your hands before and after interacting with animals.
The American Veterinary Medical Association has more information on COVID-19 and handling pets: avma.org/sites/default/files/2020-03/covid-19-faqpet-owners_031620.pdf.
What if my horse needs routine or emergency care during the restrictions caused by the COVID-19 outbreak?
In the even that your horse needs veterinary care, call your veterinarian to discuss whether the care is essential. Because of the efforts to reduce the potential for human exposure to COVID-19, routine care may need to wait until there is no risk for COVID-19 exposure to you or your veterinarian. Telemedicine may be a way to provide veterinary care for your horse without risking exposure to COVID19. For emergency care, call your veterinarian to determine how veterinary care can be delivered while following appropriate biosecurity to prevent exposure to COVID-19. Do not take your horse to a veterinary hospital until you have consulted with your veterinarian.
The Equine Disease Communication Center continues to report infectious disease outbreaks for horses. More information about horse infectious diseases and biosecurity are available on the EDCC website at http://equinediseasecc.org.
EQUINE CORONAVIRUS FACTSHEET
NOTE: Equine Coronavirus—ECoV— is NOT the same virus as COVID-19
Disease Name:
Coronavirus, ECoV Equine Coronavirus, Beta
Disease Type: Viral disease caused by an RNA Virus. The disease causes gastrointestinal disease in horses.
Transmission: ECoV is spread when feces from an invected horse is ingested by another horses (fecal-oral transmission). The virus can also be transmitted when horses make oral contact with surfaces or objects that are contaminated with infected feces. Stalls, muck forks, manure spreaders, thermometers and clothing are common fomites (objects or materials that can harbor ECoV). ECoV is most commonly diagnosed in the winter months. ECoV appears to be specific for horses with no evidence of infection or that it is transmitted to humans or other animals, however appropriate biosecurity measures should be practiced with all horses with diarrhea or when horses are showing clinical signs consistent with ECoV.
Frequency: Low Incubation period: 2-4 days
Carrier status: Carrier status is currently unknown but horses with no clinical signs have been found to shed the virus.
Shedding period: Shedding period is unknown but the virus can be present in samples 3-15 days post infection; horses that show no evidence of the virus can shed the virus.
Latency: It is unknown how soon infected horses become infectious, but the feces of infected horses does pose a risk to other horses.
Severity: Low but mortality can occur in complicated cases. Miniature horses seem to be more affected more often than other breeds/types, but all breeds can be affected. ECoV infections are generally self-limiting.
Clinical signs and symptoms:
• Fever up to 105 degrees F (40.5 C) • Lack of appetite • Depression • Colic • Laying down frequently • Diarrhea (may or may not present) • Low white blood cell count Complications can occur in rare cases: • Protein loss • Dehydration • Neurologic signs (such as lethargy, depression, loss of body control) secondary to an excess of ammonia in the system • Recumbency (inability to stand) • Death
Diagnoses: Diagnosis is made by a veterinarian based on presence of clinical signs compatible with ECoV infection, the exclusion of other infectious agents, and the detection of ECoV in feces using PCR (polymerase chain reaction).
Treatment: The primary treatment is supportive care of clinical signs. Severe cases may require hospitalization for IV fluid treatment or treatment for secondary infections.
Prognosis: Good. Exposure to the virus can result in up to 85% infection rate but most animals do not show clinical signs. Mortality is low but can occur in complicated cases.
Prevention: There is no vaccine for ECoV. The best method of prevention is to maintain high standards of sanitation in all equine facilities and careful disposal of manure. When cleaning surfaces that may be contaminated with feces, clean first to remove all traces of organic matter, then disinfect.
Biosecurity: Any horse with a fever and no evidence of respiratory illness may have ECoV and feces may be infective. Horses positive for ECoV should be isolated and strict biosecurity measures and manure management instituted to prevent the spread of infection to other horses in the vicinity. These animals should be handled last when feeding, grooming and cleaning stalls to prevent possible infection of other animals. Horses that are moved to a new facility from a facility with horses positive for the virus should be isolated for 3 weeks. •
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HEAD Subhead
POLO PRESENTATION Student advances to Nationals
TATE SOMMER, a 6th grader at Riverdale Heights Elementary School in Bettendorf, Iowa, recently put together a presentation on American polo pioneer Sue Sally Hale. In her “Breaking Barriers: A Queen invades the Sport of Kings,” Sommer gave a terrific oral presentation on Hale’s life as she fought for the right to play in the traditionally male-dominated sport.
The presentation, given in the Junior Individual Performance category in Iowa’s National History Day, was a success and Sommer earned her way to the state finals. Due to COVID-19, the presentations were held virtually, the week of May 4. After giving her presentation, she learned she was chosen to move on to Nationals!
The National Contest is the final stage of a series of contests at local and state/affiliate levels. Students presented their projects through schools and districts around the world. Top entries were invited to state/affiliate level contests. The top two entries in each category then move on to the National Contest, held virtually this month. Each year nearly 3,000 students compete at Nationals.
Tate learned about Sue Sally Hale in National Geographic’s “The Book of Heroines.” Tate says she loved learning about Hale and her personality. Tate’s mom Maryl Sommer wrote, “We’ve been so impressed with how helpful the polo community has been in Tate’s research, from Stormie Hale to ... Dawn Jones and Cindy Halle.”
Nobody in Tate’s family rides or plays polo, but her mom said she is now dreaming of giving it a try, something Sue Sally would surely love!
RARE FIND Chinese woman interred with polo donkeys
RESEARCHERS from Washington University found ancient Imperial Chinese noblewomen likely played polo on donkeys. The tomb of a noblewoman named Cui Shi from the Tang Dynasty, dated to 878, was uncovered in 2012, along with two donkeys and a single stirrup.
Polo was known to be popular with nobles during the Tang Dynasty. In fact, Emperor Xizong, who reigned from 873 to 888, was said to love polo. Apparently, he promoted Cui Shi’s husband, Bao Gao, a talented polo player, to general after he won a polo match. The traditional game was considered dangerous so historical texts indicate donkeys were considered a steadier alternative to horses in a version of the game called Lvju.
While earthenware figures from the time period provided evidence of woman playing polo on horses, and historical records indicate women played Lvju, this is the first archaeological find to confirm it.
Researchers wrote, “Her family’s special relationship with polo and the popularity of donkey polo suggest that, following Tang mortuary tradition, the donkeys were sacrificed to reflect Cui Shi’s desire to play Lvju in the afterlife.”
The tomb had been looted, with bones scattered about, when scientists examined it. Radiocarbon dating confirmed the bones dated back to the same time period as Cui Shi’s death, and micro-CT scanning showed the donkeys were used for acceleration, stopping and turning rather than slow movements of pack animals.
