Looking for others’ ideas and experiences: Our barn manager/trainer has a history of respiratory illness, and has decided to close the barn for two weeks, meaning no clients on the property. The farrier will be allowed, as well as the vet if there’s an emergency.
This decision seems irrational to me because in two weeks the outbreak will likely be worse, not better, so why not settle on some safety protocols now and carry on? If the trainer wants total isolation, he could stay in his on-site house and not venture into the barn until clients have gone home. Better to suspend lessons than to keep clients from their horses, many of whom get individualized owner care not provided by the barn.
Other barns have instituted Covid-19 protocols like staggering lesson and visiting schedules to keep down the number of people at the barn at one time. They’ve also prohibited visits by friends and non-essential service providers. Some have required tacking up in stalls rather than in the cross-ties, and leaving doors open to reduce the need to grab door handles, etc.
I’d like to hear how others’ barns are handling client access during this emergency.
