Horse biosecurity

Practicing sound biosecurity is good for your horse’s health, as you are protecting your horse or horses from the negative impacts of pests and diseases.

A range of horse management practices promote good biosecurity. These include:

• ensuring new arrivals at a location are not infected with or carrying diseases
• taking care when attending competitions or events to minimise direct contact with other horses
• not sharing equipment, gear and feed at events
• preventing the spread of disease and pests by checking materials and equipment for unwanted hitchhikers (such as ticks) when you enter and leave a property
• having an ‘all hazards’ emergency action plan.

Horse owner’s responsibilities

Horse owners and carers should be familiar with the laws around managing horses in the ACT and know how to care for their horse during emergency situations.

The Animal Welfare Act 1992 promotes the welfare of horses in the ACT, making it an offence if the person in charge of a horse fails to provide appropriate:

• food
• water
• treatment for illness, disease or injury
• shelter or accommodation, a clean and hygienic living environment
• grooming and maintenance
• exercise
• care for the animal’s wellbeing.

Read about proper care and use of horses from the NSW Department of Primary Industry’s Caring for horses.

There are also certain actions that horse owners and carers need to take to be compliant with the ACT’s biosecurity legislation. These include:

• having a Property Identification Code (PIC) for a property where horses are located
• reporting suspect or confirmed high risk and priority diseases, also known as ‘notifiable diseases’.

Identifying and reporting disease

If a horse shows signs of sickness or has an infectious disease:

• Isolate the horse and consult with a veterinarian as soon as possible. Early detection and reporting can help prevent or contain an emergency disease outbreak
• Use full, correctly fitted, Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) when handling a sick horse. Horse owners should keep a PPE kit on hand
• Do not handle other horses after handling a sick horse. If this is not possible, make sure you handle the sick horse last, then wash your hands thoroughly, change your clothes and disinfect your boots before going near any other horses
• Keep gear such as rugs, halters, lead ropes, feed bins, and grooming brushes, separate and use only for the sick horse
• Disinfect any gear used on a sick horse before using on other horses.

If you suspect your horse has an infectious disease, contact a veterinarian as soon as possible.

If you suspect your horse has a notifiable disease, call the Emergency Animal Disease Hotline on 1800 675 888.

Read about diseases that are notifiable in the ACT:

• Endemic diseases
• Exotic diseases