New simple health checklist helps you ensure responsible horse care

Available free from the British Equine Veterinary Association website (www.beva.org.uk), the ‘Checklist for Equine Health’ was developed by equine veterinary specialists, welfare charities and Defra. Its purpose is to cut through the reams of advice currently available and set out clearly the practical essentials of good horse care including nutrition, safety, vaccination, parasite control, disease prevention and transport.

“There has never been so much information out there on horse management, but it can be so difficult to know what to trust or whether you are covering all the bases.  This simple guide, on one sheet of paper, can help guide your horse management routines,” said Roly Owers, Chief Executive of World Horse Welfare and Chair of the Equine Disease Coalition, which produced the checklist.

The A3-size checklist was designed to be hung on a wall and can be read at a distance with its large type and easy to follow headings and suggested actions. Topics include:

1. Arrivals – what to do before and after arrival of a new horse

2. General – every day checks and maintenance your horse needs to stay healthy and safe

3. Health – when to call a vet, what vaccinations are most appropriate and parasite control

4. Disease – isolation and simple biosecurity measures you can take

5. Transport – preparations you should make for transporting your horse safely

“So many horse owners think that biosecurity is a complicated and expensive issue. As a practising horse vet, I know that even the most simple actions can make all of the difference between health and illness, and we have designed this checklist to make it very simple for yards and horse owners to do the best for their horses,” said Ben Mayes, immediate past President of the British Equine Veterinary Association, who helped devise the checklist for the use of the National Equine Forum.

Copies of the checklist can be downloaded from www.beva.org.uk/_uploads/documents/equine-health-checklist.pdf and can be laminated to increase their durability. Copies are also due to be distributed for free by welfare charities and other equestrian organisations.