Most owners are familiar with practical ways they can prevent disease spread among horses: No tack and equipment sharing, at least not without a thorough cleaning or disinfection first. No nose-touching or drinking from communal water troughs for your horse when you’re traveling away from the farm. Isolating arrivals before adding them to your herd.
Your veterinarian routinely works around sick horses and generally has built-in procedures, such as using gloves and sterile tools, to prevent infection. But what about your farrier, who travels from farm to farm handling horses, walking through barn aisles, and using the same tools to tend to all his or her clients’ horses? He or she—and the tools on that truck—are often-overlooked sources of infection, but effective communication between horse owners and these professionals can go a long way toward preventing disease spread.
Responsible farriers take it upon themselves to ensure they’re not spreading pathogens between horses and properties, but there are also some steps owners and farm managers can take to help farriers prevent disease.