Keep Your Stable Clean: Protect Horses from Disease
Our Biosecurity Partners Lanxess Biosecurity Solutions share their expert advice on how pathogens are spread and what we can do as horse owners to reduce the risk of infection. "A clean stable isn’t just tidy—it’s a shield against diseases."
Viruses, bacteria, and fungi can thrive in dirty, damp environments, putting horses at risk of serious illness. Regular cleaning and disinfection are essential to maintain horse health, prevent outbreaks of infectious diseases, and create a safe environment for both horses and humans. Simple stable hygiene management practices can make a huge difference in equine wellbeing.
Common Infectious Diseases
Horses face several infectious threats. Understanding these diseases helps prioritise hygiene measures:
- Strangles – Caused by Streptococcus equi, this highly contagious bacterial infection produces fever, nasal discharge, and painful abscesses in the lymph nodes of the head and neck. Outbreaks spread rapidly in shared facilities.
- Equine Influenza (Flu) – A viral respiratory disease, causing high temperature, harsh coughing, and nasal discharge. Vaccination reduces severity but may not prevent infection entirely.
- Equine Herpesvirus (EHV-1 & EHV-4) – Respiratory disease known as rhinopneumonitis. EHV-1 can also cause abortion in mares and severe neurological disease.
- Tetanus – Caused by Clostridium tetani, found in soil. Not contagious between horses, but infection through wounds is life-threatening. Vaccination is essential.
- Other concerns – Ringworm, Mud Fever, Rain Scald, and Salmonellosis can develop if stables are poorly maintained.
"Pathogens can enter the stable in ways you might not expect."
How Pathogens Spread
Sick horses shed infectious agents through coughing, bodily fluids, and waste. Healthy horses may become infected via:
- Direct contact with other horses at events
- Airborne particles from coughing or snorting
- Contaminated surfaces, equipment, clothing, and vehicles
- Humans, pets, livestock, or wildlife carrying pathogens into the stable
- Contaminated feed and water
Maintaining a clean environment breaks the chain of infection.
Daily Mucking Out
One of the simplest yet most important steps in stable hygiene is mucking out every day. Removing manure and soiled bedding prevents the build-up of bacteria, reduces ammonia levels that can irritate a horse’s respiratory system, and keeps the stable dry and comfortable. Daily mucking out also lowers the risk of skin problems and infections, while making weekly deep cleans much quicker and easier. A horse standing in a clean, dry bed is a healthier, happier horse.
Cleaning & Disinfection Tips
Alongside daily mucking out, aim to deep clean your stable once a week, and always if a new horse is moving in or after sickness.
Step-by-step deep clean:
- Remove the horse.
- Remove all bedding and items such as buckets, mangers, etc.
- Apply a formulated detergent e.g., 1–2% DeterKlyn® solution to all surfaces, ideally using a high-pressure washer to generate foam (foam improves contact time on vertical surfaces). Leave for 10 minutes. Stubborn stains may require manual scrubbing. Rinse thoroughly and allow surfaces to dry completely before disinfecting.
- Apply a disinfectant recommended for equine use (e.g., 1% Virkon® S solution) to the point of run-off using a pressure washer at a low setting or a knapsack/handheld sprayer, starting from the walls and then the floors.
- Leave surfaces to dry. Ensure the disinfectant remains wet long enough to kill pathogens; always follow the manufacturer’s recommended contact time.
- Add fresh bedding only once surfaces are completely dry, then return the horse.
Keys to effective disinfection
- Disinfectants do not work well in the presence of organic matter, so thorough cleaning beforehand is essential.
- Choose a disinfectant effective against the pathogens of concern e.g., Strangles, EIV, EHV, Ringworm.
- Always follow the manufacturer’s instructions for dilution and contact time.
"Good stable management is a small effort that delivers a big impact on equine wellbeing."
By maintaining clean, dry stables and practicing proper hygiene, horse owners can significantly reduce the risk of infectious disease, protect their horses’ health, and create a safer, healthier environment for everyone involved.
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