It seems all anyone is talking about is Coronavirus these days. It has had an enormous impact on every industry including ours. Many major horse events have been cancelled. The Kentucky Derby has been postponed until September and for the first time in 75 years the race will not be held on the first Saturday in May. This has taken a major toll on the many jobs that surround these events. Grooms, trainers, photographers and anyone else who has a job that takes place at these events, are now scrambling to adjust. (chronofhorse.com/article/horse-show-service-providers-want-you-to-know-theyre-not-ok)

Farriers are somewhat insulated from these changes because they are self-employed, but still not immune from the effects of a poor economy. Because farriers are normally traveling from barn to barn, they should do all they can do prevent the spread of the Coronavirus by taking precautions.

The American Farrier’s Association has given good guidelines to follow during this time including: washing hands upon arrival and before departure of appointments, not allowing groups in your work area and considering setting up an electronic payment system to prevent exchanging money that has been handled by multiple people. (americanfarriers.org)

Though Coronavirus has not been found in the horse population, it’s always a good idea for farriers to practice good sanitation and bio-security to prevent passing on other equine infectious diseases.  She was covering another topic, but Fran Jurga recently gave some good guidelines on the Hoof Blog to follow including disinfecting tools and clothing and washing hands regularly. The full article can be read here.

With spring and summer coming up, there will be renewed risk of diseases passed on by mosquitoes and birds to horses. Last year there were a few cases of Eastern and Western Equine Encephalitis (EEE, WEE) and Equine Infectious (EIA) that popped up around the country. These can be fatal to horses and are completely preventable. To learn more about these diseases and the precautions horse owners should take, you can listen to a podcast interview we did with Dr. Courtney Diehl, DVM here.