BHA issues guidance for studs and yards in response to UK lockdown

Studs in Britain, along with training yards and racecourses, have been issued guidance by the BHA in response to the lockdown implemented by the UK government on Monday to help reduce the spread of the coronavirus.

Government measures require people to stay at home, except for very limited purposes; for non-essential shops and community spaces to be closed; and for all gatherings of more than two people in public to be stopped.

Read the full BHA statement on guidance to studs, yards and racecourses during the coronavirus lockdown

The restrictions, which will impede the normal running of studs, will be in place initially for three weeks from Monday.

The BHA statement says that travel to work, strictly to care for horses, may continue.

It says: “The guidance stipulates that people can leave home to travel to and from work 'only where this absolutely cannot be done from home'.

“On this basis, and provided that travel is strictly limited to the express purposes outlined by government, travel directly to work to care for horses may continue.

“Staff who are essential to the care of horses in respect of the above, and who absolutely cannot work from home, should continue to travel to work during the period of these restrictions.”

Care of horses should continue, it goes on to say, but government restrictions must be strictly observed.

“Horses should of course be cared for at all times – including access to food and water, clean bedding and exercise,” it says. “Many businesses will require staff to travel to work to provide this.”

It continues: “Staff at yards MUST follow government advice relating to social distancing when outside – remaining at least two metres apart and avoiding gatherings of more than two people, apart from members of their own household, at any time.”

It is understood that suppliers of feed, bedding and appropriate veterinary medicines will remain operative under similar government advice that allows pet shops to remain open for access to animal supplies.

Vets will continue to work but have been advised to reduce face-to-face consultations and to focus on emergency appointments, fulfilment of urgent prescriptions and maintaining the food supply chain.

Farriers can continue to provide essential services to horses but with provisos around hygiene and social distancing with no more than one carer or owner of the horse at each case.

The British Farriers and Blacksmiths Association, in association with the executives from a number of veterinary and welfare organisations, asked that registered members considered their appointments on a traffic light basis.

Red, or appointments that should be met, involve crucial hoofcare in which non-attendance would have serious detrimental effects, promote discomfort and cause pain, including care of foals.

Farriers should regard advisory hoofcase as an amber, or delay where possible, and consider whether the timescale between appointments can be extended without the horse becoming a 'red'.

They should not attend non-crucial hoofcare cases, which could easily extended without any long-term concerns.

The BHA stressed that the current guidance, based on liaison with Defra and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, may need to be amended if the government refines or strengthens its measures to deal with the coronavirus pandemic.

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