Boarding Farms Still Open Provided Guidelines Followed

Kentucky horse boarding operations are considered essential businesses and are permitted to continue operating, as long as they comply with all state guidelines for social distancing between employees and clients and are regularly disinfecting equipment and surfaces, according to a clarification issued March 26 by State Veterinarian Dr. Robert Stout.

Two days ago, as part of Gov. Andy Beshear's order to close all nonessential businesses, the Kentucky Horse Council distributed guidelines advising that boarding operations "cease all unnecessary operations and activities, engage in horse care activities only, and close their facilities to all but essential staff. If a facility has clients that engage in self-care for their horses these individuals are allowed to come to the facility for horse care activities only."

The clarification now states: "Equine boarding facilities are currently permitted to remain operational so long as the facility can implement and follow the direction given by the Kentucky Office of the State Veterinarian that includes maintaining/practicing social distancing as well as limiting individuals in the facility at any given time to a minimum and to those that have a defined need/purpose/benefit.

"Insuring compliance of the individual borders will be responsibility of the facility operator/manager," Stout's clarification continued. "This should not be interpreted to imply concession riding operations or other such retail businesses are permitted to operate."

The state's guidelines for boarding facilities have not significantly affected Central Kentucky's broodmare boarding operations because most were already following biosecurity protocols as a regular course of business and what would have otherwise been a busy time with visits from broodmare owners has been curtailed by the cancellation of Keeneland's spring meet and the postponement of the Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (G1) to Sept. 5.

"During the spring meet and at Derby time, we are quite busy with visitors," said Dan Hall with Hidden Brook Farm. "We are not quite there yet so we have not had to discourage anyone but now that's not going to happen so I don't expect there to be an issue. Most of our clients are out of town, and they are not out and about."

As for the state guidelines, Hall said they are a bit more stringent than the farm would regularly follow, particularly with social distancing between employees, but nothing too out of the ordinary.

"We are dealing with a lot of foals, so we don't have a lot of employees going back and forth between the barns," he said. "Invariably you deal with something every year, so I guess we're fortunate that this is something we are used to, but we are taking every extra precaution."

Rusty Ford, equine operations consultant with the Kentucky State Veterinarian office, said he's been monitoring compliance throughout Central Kentucky and has a lot of confidence in the horse industry continuing to do its part in helping contain the spread of the coronavirus.

"At this point, the strategies we have in place have shown no evidence that they are not working. The sheds, the farms, the veterinarians have all made statements to me that if we need to do more, to cease operations to better protect the public health, we would," Ford said.