Yeah, you just gotta put it in the contract otherwise there could be issues LOL. I’m big on “let’s make sure we’re alllll on the same page” 
I do have to wonder if the OP has some attachment (owner or lessor) at the stable in Maryland with the ongoing EVH. Being a public stable and given their location, they have to be extremely vigilant about who enters the property down there. I can definitely sympathize with an owner whose now told they cannot see their horse but the safety of all horses is paramount and the owners need to understand that. Now of course the OP could be interested in mucking out their stall at 11pm too. Who knows.
Lots of barns closed to everyone except for essential staff at the outset of the pandemic. In many cases it was because of local or regional mandates. In many other cases it was a well-founded fear of an unknown contagious virus that had killed thousands in China and Italy by the time it came here. That’s not paranoia; that’s prudence.
Owners at our barn weren’t allowed to visit for the first 4-6 weeks of pandemic lockdowns. At that point we were under a state of emergency and all being asked to stay home except for truly essential trips anyway. Our barn provides excellent care and the vast majority of horses are in a full training program, which continued during the lockdown, so we were all very supportive. We didn’t want to risk the barn owner or staff getting sick, or getting fined for violating public safety orders.
Same scenario would apply in an EVH-1 outbreak. It may be inconvenient to not see your horse, but the risk of spreading such an awful disease is worse.
Personally, I would never board my horse at a place where I didn’t trust that he would receive great care every day, whether I visit or not.
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This is a very interesting thread, even if the OP never chimed back in.
Our barn was closed for about 12 weeks during our country’s national hard lockdown.
It is open every day of the week, with no set hours. It’s a professional competition yard, and a lot of boarders can only ride very early before work, so some people ride as early as 6am. My lessons are all at 7am.
We don’t have lights, so no one really rides after 6pm anyway. Especially in winter when it’s dark and cold, and the grooms have clocked off and can’t help put horses away.
I have a good friend who boards at that barn. There are plenty of staff there taking care of the horses 24/7. Certainly not “not letting anyone on property to even check on the horse” and from what she’s said, she gets very regular (daily!) emails about her horse and how she’s doing.
I do think there’s a line between “visiting a barn where you board at odd hours” and refusing to allow an owner to come see their horse on a given day , EHV or COVID aside. Wish the OP would share more so we could help!
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Yes, but the state was not under a lockdown. This was the owners choice. About 1/3 of the barns did this, the rest just quit doing lessons. Some did not close to lessons on the owners horse. Not trying to be argumentative. This is interesting conversation. It’s a private barn so didn’t fall under the same rules as public businesses. What are the rules pertaining to a private barn keeping an owner from their property.
