Keeping sick horses at home

[Vegashorselady]

If another horse at the barn comes down with an illness do you keep your horse home until you're sure all is well? If your horse has a suspicious symptom but otherwise seems fine do you go ahead and take them into a public riding place? Which illnesses constitute a “quarantine” and which illnesses do not?

This issue has been on my mind ever since I heard a vet say it was okay to take a horse to a show even though another horse at the barn had come down with strangles. The two horses had been in direct contact just a couple of days earlier. His opinion was that horses had already been on and off the property during the incubation period and not to worry about it unless they showed signs of being ill themselves.

And, strangles are one thing but what about other things like colds or flues? I’ve seen horses at shows that I suspect might have a cold. My horses are vaccinated so I don’t worry too much. But I’ve watched those people wiping down their snotty nosed horses face and later walk up to someone else’s horse and pet it. A cold might be a minor illness but geez you should keep your hands off other horses if your own horse has nasal discharge, am I wrong?

Generally I’m not a worry wort but I’ve really been thinking about this a lot. It does seem that some people are just a little to slack about containing equine illnesses but what steps are reasonable caution and what crosses the line to extremely paranoid?

[Equine_Woman]

Here in Texas it seems like all horses get snotty late summer, early fall. I don't know if I would keep my horse home with that kind of snotty, but if she was genuinely sick I wouldn't take her off the property. For one thing, she'd be sick and not 100% and the second I wouldn't want to get anyone else infected. And as for removing a horse from a property with strangles I guess I probably wouldn't. Not unless they were far apart and had no caretakers in common.

[SedonaThunder]

His opinion was that horses had already been on and off the property during the incubation period and not to worry about it unless they showed signs of being ill themselves.This is odd because I've read that (just like humans) horses can pick up junk and carry it around even if they are immune to it. It's easy enough to keep your horse home if it has symptoms, or if you know it's been exposed - this should be standard - but I think often times we don't know.

My friends fall into two camps and it's pretty interesting to me - there are vaccinators and non-vaccinators. The vaccinators are divided... some do the basics every so often and work on a good immune system and don't worry, while others do every vaccine as often as allowed and still worry constantly not allowing their horses to sniff others, get too close or drink out of shared buckets. The majority of the non-vaccinators (most all still do tetanus) work on keeping the immune system healthy, and boosted for a trip or extra stress time, and don't tend to worry much at all.

I don't attend shows and am rarely around large groups of horses like prize rides or anything. If I were to be, I would be using an immune boost much like I do for myself before I fly. I would NEVER take a horse out that had any symptoms - not only to protect others but also to not risk any stress to a possibly ill horse.

[Vegashorselady]

Yeah EW my horses get a little snotty nosed in the heat or whatever sometimes too, and I don't keep them home because there is nothing else to suggest they are sick no temp etc. But, I don't really want someone I don't know with a snotty nosed horse touching mine at a show, know what I mean?

Sedona, I agree the vets opinion was odd. I don't have much respect for this particular vet though so it's not unusual for me to disagree with him (I don't use him). His opinion was that the disease had already been spread and horses had already been on and off the property during the incubation period so everyone may as well carry on as usual unless their horse was actually sick. In which case you wouldn't be taking your horse anywhere anyway because a horse with strangles is certainly in no condition to go to a show or on a trail ride.:rolleyes:

I know I sure as heck wouldn't appreciate it though if I had a horse come down with strangles and then found out that someone I rode with a week before had a case of it at their barn. My thinking would be that they were the ones that spread it to my horse!

[WashingtonBay]

I think there's a difference between a watery nose in a dusty environment, and a snotty nose when a horse is sick.


I wouldn't take a horse out in public who had been exposed to Strangles, or anything else until I knew they were safe. I don't though, let my horses touch noses with anyone we meet on trail or at trailheads. Not just for being sick... I don't want someone getting kicked or struck at. I don't let my horses greet other horses we meet anyway, and don't frequent places that have communal water troughs very often.

[Vegashorselady]

I'm not a fan of letting horses greet each other and touch noses either. I don't appreciate the inevitable squeeling and kicking and just think it's a bad habit for your horse to feel the need to greet other horses while riding.

[GrungeEquestrian]

I'm not a fan of letting horses greet each other and touch noses either. I don't appreciate the inevitable squeeling and kicking and just think it's a bad habit for your horse to feel the need to greet other horses while riding.

Completely agree. My mare is a bit bipolar and although she might stretch her neck out and perk her ears like she wants to greet another horse, chances are she doesn't. I can't stand when people ride their horses up to my mare (who has a red ribbon on by the way...she has kicked at a horse just once) and say "Oh, what a pretty mare she will just love Max." I like to have personal space when I'm riding any horse, kicker or not and do not allow them to touch noses.

Back to topic on keeping sick horses home. It would all really depend on how contiagous it was if I would keep it home. If my horse had a cold I would never take her to a show or a public place period. If it was Strangles I most definetely wouldn't be taking it anywhere as well. I wouldn't want anyone else's horses to become infected.

[alittleoffkey]

I think there's a difference between a watery nose in a dusty environment, and a snotty nose when a horse is sick.

We don't really travel anymore, but back when we did if ours showed even the slightest runny nose (not dust-water, but snot) or acted a bit off, they didn't go anymore. We didn't even ride down the road (2-3 miles down the road there are more farms with horses) if a horse on our farm was acting odd. We expected the same curtosy of our neighbors, and ours never wound up really ill. :)

I still rub my boots off with a rag soaked in a 1/2 bleach/water solution after I've gone to a public barn (I don't if I go visit somewhere like Buck's Hollow or a local friend's barn :)). 3 of my 4 horses have spent almost their entire lives on the farm, so I prefer not to expose them to too much if I can avoid it. Maybe that's a bit neurotic, but it's kept them healthy so far.

[KCandAllegro'sMom]

I don't travel with my horses anymore so I guess it's a moot point for me, but I did used to show and such. I wouldn't take my horse anywhere if he were sick and not feeling well, if he only had clear nasal discharge and was otherwise fine it would be a go.

If I knew another horse had something contagious, I would not take my horse. As it is now I worry about taking my dogs to the vet because of all the germs and such they could get, and I feel the same way when I go to the dr. I could really become a germophobe if I didn't stop myself from thinking about this kind of stuff.

[FredRock]

Well, as in the case of the rabies saddlebred they discovered at the huge show, what do you do when you keep the horse at home, but that's where the show is? Quarentine? Sign? Or do you just let the horse be and hope no one wants to come into contact with it?

One of the things that made me rethink boarding somewhere that hosts a lot of shows- people don't always see the signs of major illnesses, or figure the horse is just "off" and will work out of it. Plus, vaccinated horses have more of a chance of carrying the disease than showing symptoms, because they're already fighting it off.

My horses wouldn't go out, but then again I'm not big into shows and there isn't much to lose by letting the horses have some time to feel better. For people who live on training and showing, though, it's a tougher call.

[cowgirlup@idaho]

I stopped petting other horses after the very bad strangles outbreak we had 2yrs ago at our barn. An old in her late 20's mare died from it and a young yearling is permantly damaged from it. My horse didn't get it, she was already vaccinated. I also don't let my horse touch other horses because 'contact' is the main way that horses transmit whatever is ailing them. I also don't loan out brushes, bridles, ropes or anything of that nature. Also, when they sneeze/cough they are sloughing into the air any virus or bug they have :(

If my horse were to be sick, I wouldn't take her into the company of other horses in any kind of situation except a vet hospital.

[Vegashorselady]

We don't really travel anymore, but back when we did if ours showed even the slightest runny nose (not dust-water, but snot) or acted a bit off, they didn't go anymore. We didn't even ride down the road (2-3 miles down the road there are more farms with horses) if a horse on our farm was acting odd. We expected the same curtosy of our neighbors, and ours never wound up really ill. :)

I still rub my boots off with a rag soaked in a 1/2 bleach/water solution after I've gone to a public barn (I don't if I go visit somewhere like Buck's Hollow or a local friend's barn :)). 3 of my 4 horses have spent almost their entire lives on the farm, so I prefer not to expose them to too much if I can avoid it. Maybe that's a bit neurotic, but it's kept them healthy so far.

See, you are the ultimate conscientious person I was interested in hearing from. :) It's certainly not a bad thing but I don't know if I could be that dedicated to not spreading germs. I've never thought about rubing my boots with bleach water after visiting a public barn but certainly germs could be tracked from one barn to another that way.

[lisakaye]

If Easter has a clear runny nose then I take her to the show. If she has a colored discharge then no I do not take her. She has Heaves and gets respiratory issues easily so I try to protect her and I always feel that I try not to do what I wouldn't want others to do. I have seen sick horses at shows and I have seen many riders bute and medicate before they ride just to hide the illness. That really PO's me..