Covid-19 has thrown a huge spanner in the works for the equestrian community as well as causing huge disruption for racing and competition calendars.

With the cancellation of The Dublin Horse Show and now Balmoral Show, it is looking like the sport horse industry will have a while to wait before there’s even a glimmer of hope that shows will resume.

Racing, however, is still holding out hope that it can get back up and running behind closed doors sooner rather than later. Horse Racing Ireland (HRI) CEO Brian Kavanagh has said that “once clarity comes, HRI will be in a position to move quickly”.

The Galway Races committee has said that the festival (due to run from Monday 27 July to Sunday 2 August) will not be open to the public. Organisers are hoping the festival will run behind closed doors, dependent on government policy and the approval of HRI and the Irish Horse Racing Regulatory Board (IHRB)

Despite this disruption, the industry is still ticking over, with yards and studs across the country open for business. Work cannot stop completely as horses still need to be cared for.

Under the restrictions laid out by the Government, the care of animals is deemed essential work and stud and stable staff are still allowed to travel for work.

It is extremely important yards and studs across the country play their part in slowing the spread of Covid-19 while they complete this essential work. GP Dr Gillian Mernagh has crucial advice on how yards can continue to work while staying safe.

“The holy grail of the whole thing is hand hygiene, everyone needs to be extremely careful about hand hygiene and wash their hands properly with soap and warm water or use alcohol hand gels,” she says.

“Obviously in a yard set-up you won’t have sinks on every corner so it is a good idea to install hand sanitizer dispensers around the yard, especially where people can’t get access to a sink easily. The more you have dotted around the yard the better,” Mernagh explained.

Social distancing

“Social distancing is the next most important element after hand hygiene. Yards are going to have to adhere to social distancing guidelines, whether that means riding out in smaller lots or staggering how many people are cleaning out stables throughout the day so everyone is not in the one area at the same time. Whatever their old routine was they’re going to have to come up with new strategies to keep up social distancing.”

Tea breaks are another main element that will need to change. These will need to be staggered so everyone is not in the tea room at the same time. If possible staff members could bring their own mug to and from work or alternatively, make sure they clean utensils properly with soap and warm after. Touch points within the tea room – switches, kettle handle, press doors etc. – should be cleaned on a daily basis.

The social distancing guidelines are going to stay in place for the foreseeable future so it is a good idea for yards to get into a good routine now and start making it their new normal.

Washing

“It would be recommended that you wash your clothes at 60°C after work every day and have a shower and wash your hair as soon as you get home from work.

“The more people that adhere to basic hygiene the better, people don’t need to get fancy with this, washing your hands throughout the day with soap and warm water is the most important thing you can do,” Mernagh says.

Surfaces that are continuously touched and used throughout the day will need to be cleaned more often, this includes door handles, feed scoops, shovels, stable latches, light switches, bucket handles and so on.

If any staff members have any underlying health issues, Gillian recommends calling their own GP to talk through any concerns they may have.