Objective
- To minimise the risk of introducing diseases or contaminants through the incorporation of specific design attributes in the construction of the venue.
Tips – General:
- Avoid locating permanent and temporary horse venues in swampy areas, near bat colonies or intensive piggeries, to reduce the risk of cross-contamination.
- Include isolation areas for sick horses in venue designs. Introduce double fencing or boundary roadways between mixed stock, to prevent nose-to-nose contact with external horses or other livestock. Feed and waste from isolation areas should be kept separate from the main venue stores.
- Horse wash areas should be designed to avoid contact between horses. Enforce rules for sand rolls/rolling areas.
- Horse entry is easier to manage with single, or few, venue entry points. Manage traffic areas to minimise or prevent dust, mud or water flowing over the tread surface.
- Stables with cement floors and walls made of, or covered with, a solid material are easiest to clean and disinfect. Good ventilation is essential. Standard Operation Procedures (SOPs) should be developed for regular stable cleaning and periodical sanitation.
Sanitation includes the removal of all manure and feed followed by washing, scrubbing and rinsing, or pressure washing all surfaces with hot water and detergent. This is followed by applying disinfectant. Give consideration to stable access for mechanical cleaning devices, such as bobcats.
- Venue design should feature gates or systems to secure sections of the venue. Control points can be established to assist in management, in addition to venue access and exit points. Install designated travel corridors and parking areas for vehicles, floats, farm bikes and other traffic. Car parks and delivery points should be on venue boundaries, where practical, and/or have managed travel routes through a venue.
- Ideally, a quarantine area should be coupled with an insect control program. Insects and flies can spread disease from mucus, wounds or other fluids.
- Facility designs for waste management should consider heavy rain and flooding. Waste includes uneaten feed, soiled bedding, manure, medical waste, rubbish, and water runoff.
- State or local regulatory requirements for the management of waste water must be met.
- Watercourses entering the venue, such as streams, creeks, rivers, dams, ponds and lakes, need to be identified and managed for water quality. For example, sending samples to laboratories to test for potential disease contaminants.
Venue Management:
Objectives
- To minimise the risk of introducing diseases or contaminants by implementing management practices specific to the venue.
- To minimise the risk of introducing diseases or contaminants by feral and domestic animals and pests.
Tips -General:
- Identify and manage pest animals, including rodents, feral cats, dogs and pest birds. An integrated pest animal control program should be in place to deter pests. Avoid keeping horses, feed or equipment in areas that may be contaminated by bats.
- Ensure isolation areas contain separate coveralls, rubber boots and gloves for handlers. Keep protective clothing within the area and wash frequently. A separate wash area must include a hand basin, paper towels and garbage containers. A separate supply of basic veterinary stocks is also required, such as bandages and syringes. SOPs should also promote using new needles and syringes each time.
- Establish a work schedule for staff or volunteers that ensures they do not move between isolated horses and other resident horses.
- Yellow medical containers – ‘sharps containers’ – should be placed at each work station, such as vet boxes at a racecourse and the breeding crush on a stud, for the immediate disposal of all syringes and needles.
- A venue waste management policy should consider how waste types are moved, collected, stored and disposed. Waste from isolation areas needs to be kept separate to avoid contamination from flies and water.
- Develop stock disposal regulations to reduce the risk of contaminating water courses, water tables, soils or wild animal movement.
- Select contractors and suppliers who have a quality assurance program in place.
Tips – Venue Managers:
- Consider the venue layout when planning event programs, to minimise horse- to-horse contact – for example, marked traffic lanes. Also consider the separation of spectator and general vehicles from competitors, with designated entry/exit points, marked with clear signage.
- Investigate and designate stock disposal options.
- Waste disposal should be part of the overall event management plan and should include water from wash bays and truck washes.
Record Keeping:
Objective
To assist in the early detection of horse health issues and respond to any horse health issue.
Tips – General
- Develop, and regularly review, an emergency disease response plan. This plan may include policies for postponing or cancelling events, or policies that outline the reasons the business can refuse to accept a horse onto a venue.
- Keep, or sight, health and travel records for each horse. Keep internal movement records of horses – this is particularly important on large studs.
- Keep feed, bedding, veterinary drug and delivery records.
- Ensure records are organised and readily accessed for updating and backup.
- Ensure records are linked to industry data-bases, where applicable, to assist with disease management.
- Documentation should include provision for recording identification, point-of- origin and destination information.
- Check policies of venues in relation to dogs and other visiting animals.
- Where practical, record visitors.
- Venues should have enforced minimum requirements for health status, for example, inoculations.
- Travel records, including vaccinations, should be up-to–date, prior to travelling.
- Keep records of test or standard mare servings, and semen transport, storage and use – both frozen and chilled.
Tips – Venue Managers:
- Develop, and regularly review, an emergency disease response plan. This plan may include policies for postponing or cancelling events.
- Documentation should include the provision for recording identification, point-of-origin and destination information – preferably on entry forms.
- Ensure movement records are linked to industry data-bases, where applicable, to assist with disease management.
Training of Venue Staff and Volunteers:
Objective:
- To ensure awareness by training all venue employees in relevant horse health requirements.
Tips – General:
- Ongoing training opportunities should be provided for existing staff.
- Training may include mentoring, focus groups, workshops, field days, –lectures, online, self-directed, CD, DVD and information sheets. Training can include sessions involving staff/volunteers in the development – of SOPs, review of workplace safety practices, and the provision of new information relating to research findings, legislation updates and news – as this often provides a time to discuss how and why procedures on your venue are carried out.
- Accredited or information style training for members, to grow organizational – capacity, can be provided.
- Record the training each employee participates in.
Tips – Venue Managers:
- Venue personnel includes key officials and volunteers.
- Ensure people are informed of horse health practices on entry to the venue, for example closing gates, designated areas, etc.
- Signage or information promoting horse health practices should be provided to competitors.
Information:
Objective:
To minimise the risk of introducing diseases or contaminants by providing relevant information and infrastructure that promotes relevant horse health messages.
Tips – General
- Gate signage will inform visitors that horse health (biosecurity) is taken seriously on your venue.
- Use signage to restrict entry by persons to designated isolation areas, to encourage hand washing, to close gates, or as triggers for SOPs.
- Place a copy of the action plan in the venue staff room, with additional reference material.
- Have training, or information sessions, for staff and volunteers, including horse health messages and practices.
- Ensure visitors are informed of minimum practices or restricted areas.
- Brochures, posters and stickers can be used to promote venue horse health messages.
Tips – venue managers:
- The key message is that all people are responsible for horse health at the venue. Use a range of methods to promote key information – including signage, public announcements and competitor information in event programs. Key messages can be included on clubroom noticeboards, magazine articles, media releases, club newsletters or websites. Brochures, posters and stickers can also be used to promote venue horse health messages to spectators.
Information Sourced From:
