04/22/2024
🐎 AN OPEN MESSAGE TO COMPETITORS FROM SHOW FACILITY MANAGEMENT ON BIOSECURITY PROTOCOLS 🐎
We recently finished (successfully) our first schooling show since the EHV quarantine period ended, and wanted to share some thoughts on the mixed reactions to our new protocols; highlights of those changes are:
💉Updated Shot Requirements
🌡️2 x per Day Temperature Checks with posted USEF logs
📃 More strict requirements for records and health certificates for out-of-state competitors
Most were, and have been, very supportive despite a few extra steps. We greatly appreciate you! Some had to be pressured or threatened to get them to comply. The question is, "why?" Ignorance is bliss until it's not, and the situation is worse than it had to be. With each challenge we face at the farm, we do our best to get better and learn for the next one.
These are the responses we get, usually to temp checks:
📌My horse is young/doesn't like it-Good. An opportunity to get him used to it.
📌It takes a while-Good. An opportunity for your team to work together and share the work to make the show safer, quickly.
📌 "X" Facility isn't making us do this-Good. We'll be safer here... until you come back from there.
This is what the new normal looks like⬇️, and we hope you'll embrace it for the sake of the community despite some additional steps. At the end of the day, if you're dishonest on your temp logs and hide an illness or warning signs intentionally, we may not know or find out right away, but someone does, and that's not a great example and it's a risk to others.
The reality is that, sometimes... people want biosecurity until it's time to do biosecurity things. Please don't make show management need to be the biosecurity police.
‼️ Now, if these measures do identify a fever... it's important that we normalize a calm and rational response to the situation, because we all know that there are many causes of fever in horses-abscesses, infections, other inflammation, respiratory illness, etc. If show management initiates a stop movement order to investigate, remain calm and wait for more information.
If you're not familiar with the new protocol details, please review them on our website; the 🔗 is in the comments!
We understand that new things take time for people to learn and get used to; all we ask is that you are patient, understanding, and flexible in helping us make this transition to ensure a safer show ecosystem! We are grateful for Lake Erie College School of Equine Studies, Stone Gate Farm, and World Equestrian Center for being aligned with us in these efforts and protocols.
🏆All that said, we look forward to a great show weekend this week, with the CVF A-Rated series end show, 25-28 April! 🏆