A New Horse With an Unknown History: Where to Start?
Q. I recently purchased a horse from an auction, and she came with no health records whatsoever. I have no clue where to start when it comes to getting her back on a preventive health regimen. Should I just deworm and vaccinate her like my other horses? Does she need any special care?
—Cathy, via email
A. Any new horse to your own farm with horses or a boarding/training barn situation should always be placed in a quarantine area for a minimum of 14 to 21 days. A “Welcome Barn” that is situated away from the regular herd or horse traffic—but close enough that the new horse doesn’t feel isolated for one month—is recommended. This allows the barn manager or farm owner to monitor the new horse for potential contagious diseases, such as strangles or influenza. Then after the quarantine time period, you can introduce the horse to the rest of the horses
Create a free account with TheHorse.com to view this content.
TheHorse.com is home to thousands of free articles about horse health care. In order to access some of our exclusive free content, you must be signed into TheHorse.com.
Start your free account today!
Already have an account?
and continue reading.
Erin Denney-Jones, DVM
Related Articles
Stay on top of the most recent Horse Health news with
