Everyone’s focus is to keep competition horses healthy. However, traveling and commingling horses at a competition ground is not without risk. There is no way to eliminate all risk from a competition ground, but following core biosecurity principles significantly reduces the risk of disease introduction and spread.
It’s the last day of the HorseGrooms’ Biosecurity Week, and we would like to close this important topic off with a list of resources provided by several equestrian organizations.
HorseGrooms Resources
HorseGrooms has several articles and other resources available about biosecurity. Make sure you join the HorseGrooms Community for free to not miss any of these valuable resources.
Vaccination Guidelines when Showing in Europe
A really good resource to study is our course “No Vaccination? No Horse Show! Your Guide to Vaccination Guidelines.” You can find this extensive document in the HorseGrooms Community: https://community.horsegrooms.com/c/biosecurity/no-vaccination-no-horse-show-your-guide-to-vaccination-guidelines
National Vaccination Requirements in the U.S.
To learn more about national vaccination requirements in the U.S. and the difference between risk-based and core vaccinations, read Nanci Snyder’s article “Understanding Your Horse’s Vaccination Program” here: https://horsegrooms.com/understanding-your-horses-vaccination-program/
Biosecurity and Nutrition
To learn more about what you can do nutrition wise to set your horse up for physical success, read this article: https://horsegrooms.com/thinking-of-biosecurity-before-the-crisis-the-role-of-nutrition/
By making sure your horse has a healthy diet, with any needed supplements, he or she has the best chance of fighting any potential disease.
Tips from an FEI Veterinary Delegate
For tips from the 2024 Paris Olympic Games appointed FEI Veterinary Delegate Julius Peters, listen to this interview in the HorseGrooms Community: https://community.horsegrooms.com/c/biosecurity/the-job-of-an-fei-veterinary-delegate-at-international-horse-shows-explained-by-julius-peters-dvm
U.S. Equestrian
You can find helpful information about the different aspects of biosecurity in the video and social media archives from U.S. Equestrian:
- Five Biosecurity Tips with Dr. Katie Flynn – https://www.usef.org/learning-center/videos/five-biosecurity-tips-with-dr-katie-flynn
- There are some great links below in the text of the website including:
- Biosecurity Home – https://www.usef.org/compete/resources-forms/competition-management/competition-safety-biosecurity
- Biosecurity – What you Need to Know: https://www.usef.org/media/webinars?id=Xfzyx0nqQ7w
- Exhibitor Biosecurity Measures Pamphlet: https://www.usef.org/forms-pubs/Kgxcgp4ytKE/exhibitor-biosecurity-measures-pamphlet
- Competition Management Biosecurity Measures Pamphlet: https://www.usef.org/forms-pubs/0iaW2PqkUq4/competition-biosecurity-brochure
- Vesicular Stomatitis:
Additionally, later in February, U.S. Equestrian will be posting three videos from Dr. Katie Flynn on biosecurity measures to take before, during, and after a competition. Stay tuned!
The International Grooms Association (IGA)
Our partner, the International Grooms Association (IGA), has an FEI Knowledge section in the members-only portion of their website where you will find more helpful information beyond just biosecurity. Click the link to go to this section: https://internationalgrooms.org/about-the-fei
FEI Inside
There’s also a lot of good information available inside the FEI: https://inside.fei.org/fei/your-role/veterinarians/biosecurity-movements/biosecurity
Download the FEI HorseApp, which contains modules on how to manage FEI Horses, including traceability features and monitoring of horse health at FEI Events.
Grooms, owners and trainers can use the FEI HorseApp to:
- Fill in the Horse Health Self-Certification Form
- Enter daily horse temperatures in accordance with the FEI Veterinary Regulations for all FEI Events worldwide
- Check-in Horses when required by the FEI
- Send feedback to the FEI with the Grooms Reporting Mechanism
The British Grooms Association
“Groom Clean Anti-Doping Education” is an interactive e-learning course from the British Grooms Association which will give you an understanding of the importance of anti-doping and controlled medication in equestrian sports.
The course covers both the technical aspects of anti-doping, the testing procedure and practical stable management tips on how to avoid an anti-doping rule violation. https://britishgrooms.org.uk/training/bga-e-learning/groom-clean
Anyone can take part in the course–groom, rider, trainer, student, owner or parent. It’s free for BGA members. Non-members pay £14.50.
Feature photo courtesy of FEI/Shannon Brinkman.
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Our goal is to create a space to keep horsemanship alive; for grooms to support and educate each other; and to help advance the craft of grooming. HorseGrooms is dedicated to ambitious grooms everywhere.
