One of the remarkable things about caring for horses is that we can sometimes prevent the Really Bad Stuff from happening, horse-health-wise, with some responsible practices. The importance of sound biosecurity comes to my attention on a fairly regular basis, just because there are so many little nasty bugs rolling around, waiting to take hold in our horses.

If our horses rarely leave the farm, and we (their humans) don’t mingle with other horses and immediately come home and touch our own animals (without changing our clothes and washing our hands first), then the chances of unleashing a disease in our herd might be reduced, as compared to farms that transport horses in and out on a regular basis. Vaccinating against those infectious offenders spread by vectors such as mosquitoes, however, must still be a priority. And remember that if there’s no buffer between you and your neighbor’s pastures, curious noses might touch over the fence and introduce infection.

Bottom line: small farm or large, transient herd or not, you should be vigilant about avoiding the spread of infection no matter your situation. From isolating new additions to the farm to avoiding equipment sharing at group rides or competitions, there’s a lot you can do to protect your horses