Horsebox Hygiene
We recommend that you muck out and sweep out your horsebox every time you use it. Then disinfect your horsebox using our EndoSan disinfectant in our hand pump spray bottles or knapsack sprayers.
Why should you clean and disinfect after every use?
– Travelling horses is stressful for them and stress lowers their immune system, making them more susceptible to pathogens in their environment.
– Travelling long distances can be tiring, which can also make your horse more susceptible to the pathogens in their environment.
– Travelling long distances or travelling on hot days can cause dehydration further limiting your horse’s ability to fight disease.
– Hay or faeces left in your horse box between uses, will grow mould and bacteria. The mould will release spores into the environment, compromising your horse’s respiratory health.
How often should you deep clean your horsebox?
Horse boxes should be washed out/pressure washed regularly, how often will depend on the number of journeys you make and the number of horses using the box. The more horses and the more often it is used, the more often it will need deep cleaning. Did you know our EndoSan disinfectant can be used through a pressure washer as a final rinse.
For example, our 7.5 tonne 4 horse box, generally only carries two horses and is used maybe three times a month, so we would deep clean our box twice a year, in the Spring and Autumn.
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- You should also deep clean your horsebox if a horse you have transported has been diagnosed with an infectious disease or is unwell in any way. To do this we recommend that you disinfect your horsebox with EndoSan disinfectant first, leave for one hour, before you pressure wash, allowing the disinfectant to do its job. Pressure washers aspirate pathogens into the environment so it is better to kill them first. We also recommend disinfecting again after you have pressure washed and allow the horsebox to dry before using. Our EndoSan disinfectant, does not need rinsing.
Where will the highest pathogen load be in your horsebox?
The highest pathogen load will be across the panel your horses are tied up to. Because this is where their warm damp breathe is up against the surface, creating the right conditions for pathogen growth, particularly if you have hay nets tied up for them to eat while they travel – perfect from a stress reducing, ulcer preventing perspective, but it does add organic matter, dust and saliva to the surface as well.
We recommend as a bare minimum between journeys that you disinfect this front panel with our EndoSan disinfectant, even if you don’t disinfect the whole box.
So, you’ve bought a new horse box or trailer!
We recommend that you disinfect the tires before you bring your new purchase home, our handy travel packs are perfect to take with you to do this!
Why should I disinfect my wheels?
Infectious disease can be transferred via the wheels on your vehicles!
Before you use your new box…
We recommend that you deep clean and disinfect your new box before you use it and keep your dogs and other small pets out of it until you have, this reduces the risk of cross contamination of infectious disease.
Shared loads; – the perfect day out, you, your friends and your horses travelling to events together, sharing fuel, supporting each other, sharing the work, having a laugh, what’s not to like!
However, we recommend that you check with your friends before you travel that their horses aren’t coughing, don’t have snotty noses or show any other symptoms of illness. (take the horses temperatures)
We recommend that you disinfect your horse box, before and after you share a journey, with our EndoSan disinfectant.
Ventilate your horse box as well as possible during the journey.
Monitor your horse for up to 3 weeks after the shared journey by taking their temperature.
Horsebox hire
If you hire horseboxes from somebody else to take your horse out and about, ask them what their bio security protocol is? We would also recommend that you use our EndoSan disinfectant in one of our hand-held pump bottles to disinfect the inside of the horsebox before you use it! Reputable companies won’t mind you asking!
Transporters
If you’re having a horse transported by a transport company, then again ask them what their biosecurity protocol is. If they don’t have one, then reconsider who you are using!
What to expect from your horse box hire or transport company
The ideal would be that the horse box is pressure washed out at the end of every work day and then given a final rinse in disinfectant, which can be done with our EndoSan disinfectant through a pressure washer on a low setting.
If the transport company has more than one collection to make per day, we would recommend that they spray the inside of the horse box using a knapsack sprayer, in between each horse or each load.
I’m told by transport companies that often there aren’t the facilities to wash out at stop overs when driving on the continent, making the ability to disinfect with a knapsack and our specialist EndoSan disinfectant very important.
Travelling abroad to compete
When you stop at transit stables, disinfect the inside of your horsebox, to reduce the pathogen load before your horses travel on the next day.
Other considerations from trips abroad
If you’re in charge of horses, as in not travelling with owners or grooms, then you could spray stop over stables before you put horses in them. (depending on permission from the owners of the stop over stables)
Your clothing and boots should also be taken into consideration, your boots can be sprayed and your clothes can go in the washing machine with a cup of ready to use Ag+ EndoSan disinfectant.
Once you’ve returned from an overseas trip, then all equipment, buckets, haynets etc can be scrubbed or submerged in our EndoSan disinfectant, before it is put back on the yard.
When you are abroad if you are grooming for, or treating other horses, then again think about clothing, boots and hands, going between horses. Minimise the risk of cross contamination.
We can also treat horse box water tanks, they can be shock treated to remove biofilm, pathogens and algae and then maintained at a low dose, making it completely safe to drink for you and your horses. There’s more on my website about this.
Endosan disinfectant is licenced for use throughout the EU and it is legal to transport in the horsebox with you.
Finally..
Regardless of whether you are competitive, or riding your horse for pleasure, if you’re taking your horse out and about, then keep a diary of your journeys, the dates and who you came in contact with, where you stayed etc.
In the case of an infectious disease outbreak, movement tracking is key to reducing the spread. It is also quicker and far less stressful to already have it recorded, than trying to remember, when all you’re worried about is your horse!