Ten Tips to Stay Safe at the barn: Covid-19 and Horses

At this point in time, transmission of the Coronavirus between humans and horses is not a worry. Those of us caring for our own horses at barns with other people should, however, practice utmost caution; not over infecting our horses, but to think about the tools we use in cleaning stalls, feeding, sweeping, etc.

I have all my own tools; muckrake, broom, leaf rake (for cleaning paddock), lunge whip, and all of my horse's grooming tools, etc. However, it is not unusual for people caring for horses to share tools. Even at full board only facilities that have closed to the public and to boarders, thought needs to be taken to keep yourself and others safe. Thus, I have come up with a list of precautions we should all be taking within the barn to help prevent the spread of viruses.

• Use only your own tools and don't share, at least for now. If you have been using the barn's muckrake, for instance, to clean stalls, and others use it as well, use sanitizing wipes or spray (if you can find them) to wipe down tools before and after use. The CDC has stated that less porous surfaces (such as metal, glass and plastic) can hold the virus for longer periods than, say, more porous surfaces such as paper and rough wood. If you don't have your own tools, now would be the time to get them.
• Don't share. All our lives we are taught to share. But this is a time where we must fight that teaching. Keep your tools away from others or ask them to please not use yours.
• Wear latex gloves. Put on a pair of latex gloves if you must use shared equipment. Remove them, toss them when you're done, and wash your hands.
• Even the handles of wheelbarrows should be sanitized. Most use the barn wheelbarrows when cleaning stalls, whether you are a worker at the barn or a self-care boarder. If you're wearing gloves, the same protocol applies as above. (Wheelbarrows are not something most can simply go out and buy). 
• Respect others' property. Do not use another boarder's tools without express permission (which should be a rule regardless of a pandemic or not).
• Practice social distancing. I understand all too well how much we horse people love to socialize at the barn. That's fine if you remain 6 ft apart. I will talk to a friend if they are in the same aisle as me and we are both cleaning our stalls. There are walls or an aisle between us. But avoid congregating in groups, no matter how small.
• Come alone. Don't bring kids or family to the barn to "see your horse." This is not the time.
• Be conscious of your boots/shoes. Remove your barn footwear at the barn if you can, and replace with "street shoes." If you wear your boots from home to the barn and back (as I do), remove your boots outside the door. Bleach or spray the bottoms of them each day.
• Stall door handles. Often in barns, more than one person may be touching your stall door, particularly if another brings your horse in and out. Sanitize your stall door handles.
• Feeding equipment. Once again, if anyone besides you alone feeds your horse(s), keep buckets, feed pans and water bucket handles sanitized.

If we all work together, and take these precautions, we can hopefully keep Covid-19 out of the barns. Don't be selfish. Follow these rules to the letter. Yours or someone else's life may depend on it.