Quick question for those with horses at home about quarantine

[meleeka]

How long do you usually quarantine a new horse? How do you do it? Do you have a strangles test?

 

[blitznbobs]

I don't put it anywhere near my broodmares but I don't do quarantine from the competition horses, there is no point.

 

[poiuytrewq]

I never have done. I’m just trying to think though and I’m pretty sure we only once had one completely unknown. Otherwise they have come from work of friends/yards.
One had been in quarantine for a fortnight on another yard so I put him straight out with mine.
My yards too small really even if I’d wanted too.

 

[maya2008]

It’s supposed to be 2 weeks. Depends how much I trust the place the horse came from.

Current feral babies are in the barn atm and won’t go out near or in with the others for a few weeks.

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

I've never done it I don't have the room but the one time I did someone a favour with 2 new horses they had just bought, I said she could put them in my small field which is separate from my other field and stables, and they had to stay in there until they they went a week later so they had no interaction with mine.

Previously the other horses I knew them and the owners so I didn't quarantine as I don't really have the means to do so.

 

[The Xmas Furry]

Usually I know where they come from (breeder), so I don't quarantine but I do have them separate from anything else when turned out, at least 8 feet away. Then after a few days I'll let them get more close till they can talk over a good fence.

The TBs I took in batches of 2 to 4, they got isolated from the others for a fortnight as came off big yards with lots of movement.

 

[ycbm]

There's no point. I'm taking at least one of them out and about so it could bring back anything at any time. And quarantining a new one would have been a right pain to manage. And lastly, I'm afraid I think it's cruel for single purchases. To move a horse is stressful enough for it. To move it and prevent it from being in breathing distance of its own kind is just downright unfair, imo.

I'm in a livery of over 200 horses now, with only one of my own, but horses are coming and going all the time. We just have to hope nobody goes near a strangles case, but it's a bit worrying that there's a yard with it only 3 miles away right now. Peel Farm for anyone local to me, they have put out a notice about it.
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[Nudibranch]

Last one I brought home was a "rescue" colt. Had him adjacent to the others for 2 weeks before proper introductions. They were fully vaccinated. He was done before full contact with them. My MIM/PSSM mare still caught a nasty mystery respiratory virus (not strangles) and it took 3-4 months to get her right again. And tbf she goes out and about so she could catch something any time.

That said, unless you have 2 newbies at the same time I'm not sure what else you can do. Isolation can be cruel.

 

[ycbm]

The last thing that infected one of my horses was the vet doing a dental without disinfecting her tools or water. I was not impressed! Even less so when they billed me for the antibiotics he needed because I couldn't prove it was her.
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[EventingMum]

I now do 3 weeks isolation with daily temperature checks. I had a new horse who had a negative strangles test come onto the yard and two days later swabbed positive for strangles. False negatives are very rare but I wouldn't take the chance again having been through that - the fiasco cost me £20K in lost income, vet fees etc.

 

[meleeka]

I now do 3 weeks isolation with daily temperature checks. I had a new horse who had a negative strangles test come onto the yard and two days later swabbed positive for strangles. False negatives are very rare but I wouldn't take the chance again having been through that - the fiasco cost me £20K in lost income, vet fees etc.

This is what happens puts me off testing. It would be almost as bad to have a false positive I think, then be panicking over nothing.

 

[SEL]

No to strangles (but the other two had been exposed years before). I had a gap between the fence lines for a few days but that was more to stop silliness - but I knew where baby cob came from and had full trust in the yard

If I'd bought from one of the not great cob dealers I would have had them separated for longer I think

 

[Ceifer]

There's no point. I'm taking at least one of them out and about so it could bring back anything at any time. And quarantining a new one would have been a right pain to manage. And lastly, I'm afraid I think it's cruel for single purchases. To move a horse is stressful enough for it. To move it and prevent it from being in breathing distance of its own kind is just downright unfair, imo.

I'm in a livery of over 200 horses now, with only one of my own, but horses are coming and going all the time. We just have to hope nobody goes near a strangles case, but it's a bit worrying that there's a yard with it only 3 miles away right now. Peel Farm for anyone local to me, they have put out a notice about it.
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Agree with this.
I purchased a horse and took it to a livery yard. It had a 2 week quarantine period and was so stressed by the end of it I vowed never to do it again.

 

[JBM]

It’s not really a thing where I am
Maybe some yards do it but never one I’ve been on
My horses just showed up at livery and joined the routine as normal
Never done it at home either
Never done a strangles test either

 

[ponynutz]

No, because we only had two but also because new horse was known to original owned pony and also it probably would have been cruel to both as we only have two.
I think in other circumstances I might've though.

 

[ycbm]

Agree with this.
I purchased a horse and took it to a livery yard. It had a 2 week quarantine period and was so stressed by the end of it I vowed never to do it again.

I was involved with the purchase of a pony for an 11 year old who had to be returned because quarantine drove him out of his mind. The buyer could not delay and take the risk that the bucking and rearing would stop once he came out of quarantine. It was unfair on the pony, the buyer, the dealer and the child he was bought for.

I wonder just how many quarantined movers end up with preventable ulcers.
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[Ceifer]

I was involved with the purchase of a pony for an 11 year I old who had to be returned because quarantine drove him out of his mind. The buyer could not delay and take the risk that the bucking and rearing would stop once he came out of quarantine. It was unfair on the pony, the buyer, the dealer and the child he was bought for.

I wonder just how many quarantined movers end up with preventable ulcers.
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I ended up moving mine 4 weeks post quarantine. He was demented. I called his previous owners who said it was out of character. He settled immediately into the new yard routine and was a different horse.

I worked for a very posh horrible dressage woman years ago. She imported a very expensive horse and I remember having to stay after work on a Sunday unpaid to unload it despite her living on site. Anyway, it arrived. She was quaffing champers with hubby and posting all over social media.
I popped it into a stable, took its rug off and was confronted with a whole load of ringworm.
Meltdown doesn’t encompass the scene. We didn’t really have a quarantine set up so I had to cobble a field shelter into a stable.

 

[Peglo]

And quarantining a new one would have been a right pain to manage. And lastly, I'm afraid I think it's cruel for single purchases. To move a horse is stressful enough for it. To move it and prevent it from being in breathing distance of its own kind is just downright unfair, imo.

I quarantined my one from Italy for 2 weeks. She could see my others but they could venture off quite far away and I agree, she was really stressed for that 2 weeks not being able to be with them. She spoke to every person who walked passed desperate for attention and company. I took the precaution as all the others were over 20 yrs old. I don’t think I would do it again now though. I had my new one separate but closer.

 

[ElleSkywalkingintheair]

Quarantined one as she she was feral and full of lice until she was catchable and live free and the rest didn't bother. Two came from a friend and the other was a replacement for the lice ridden foal many many years later as she was due to be pts leaving her companion alone. She was also pretty feral but needs must so she went straight out with my shetland who she was a companion for.

As mentioned above I go out and about frequently so likely hood is I'd pick something up adventuring rather than from a new horse.

 

[dorsetladette]

I normally keep them a small field apart until silliness has calmed (usually a day) them they go in paddocks next to each other (with a gap between if anyone takes a dislike) and then stay that way while we worm etc. We did temp checks with the last newbie as we were worried about his health due to the state he was in. Luckily this turned out to be worms,lice and being passed around so much.

 

[Red-1]

No quarantine, but then I only have 2. Even BH, who was on a shared load on the boat from Ireland.

It seemed senseless as I would never go changing all of my clothes/tools between the 2 horses, plus my stables have shared air space above the partitioning wall.

 

[MissTyc]

I don't allow anything on site without a strangles test. Our herd is relatively stable with little travel out of area and most yards in the area have the same rules. Am realistic that this isn't FULL protection, they can pick anything up anywhere, but given that two of the tested horses over the last year returned a positive result, I feel it's better than nothing. Both were silent carriers, of which one responded well to a flush and the other purchase was aborted.

Once on site, we do 7-10 days "quarantine". Not full biosecurity as we don't have the facilities and it's not a realistic expectation on a normal yard, but a decent separation with only one person handling that horse at the end of all other chores. Mostly a visible precaution to reassure liveries rather than a realistic way of preventing infectious diseases! It does help make sure all OK from the outside, get all the worm tests done, get to know the horse's eating/pooing habits, etc ...

 

[sollimum]

The only time I have done this is when I purchased a cob yearling from the sales - he was very quiet and happily munched in a field - he could see the others but was separated by the drive. He turned out to be a very quiet cob and was very chilled. I am not sure that another yearling would have managed this tbh and I only did this in case he had picked something up at the sales.

My mum's cob was turned out in his new herd as soon as he arrived in his new home. They sent me a photo, the same day.

 

[poiuytrewq]

There's no point. I'm taking at least one of them out and about so it could bring back anything at any time. And quarantining a new one would have been a right pain to manage. And lastly, I'm afraid I think it's cruel for single purchases. To move a horse is stressful enough for it. To move it and prevent it from being in breathing distance of its own kind is just downright unfair, imo.

I'm in a livery of over 200 horses now, with only one of my own, but horses are coming and going all the time. We just have to hope nobody goes near a strangles case, but it's a bit worrying that there's a yard with it only 3 miles away right now. Peel Farm for anyone local to me, they have put out a notice about it.
.

I have to agree with this. If, for any reason I had to put any one of my current horses in quarantine it would be cruel. It's not something I'd be happy putting a horse through alone.
I once had one really sick at home and tbh even then I wasn't able to keep them separate. I tried to avoid nose touching etc but the ill one was having a bad enough time of it without being alone aswell.