Horses can be relatively clean animals, especially if they groom themselves. They do that by rolling in the mud and dirt, and that helps to cleanse away some of the worst of the germs and pathogens that they may carry.
Even so, you may have concerns about what kind of germs can pass from horses to humans and which illness horses can catch that will spread to you and your family. These are valid concerns, and we want to deal with them in this article as well as provide you with advice for how to keep yourself and your loved ones safe.
Communicable Disease from Horses
The good news is that there are very few diseases that horses can carry that will pass over to humans. The most commonly transmitted disease is rabies, which can be incredibly dangerous. One of the most visible indications that a horse has rabies is that it will be foaming at the mouth. It may also act erratically and violently.
Ringworms, salmonella, brain rot, and a few other diseases can spread between horses and humans, but these are uncommon. If you have your horse regularly checked out by a veterinarian and you personally look for signs that your horse is unwell, you will be able to protect yourself from most of these.
These diseases can be dealt with quickly and should be, and if proper precautions are taken, then they never have to pass on to humans. Like we said, though, the likelihood of a horse passing a disease to a human is very low.
There Is Still a Germ Problem
You are more likely to get sick by coming in contact with the dirt, hay, feces, and other debris from the stables and the areas where your horses live. All of these items may contain microorganisms of all kinds that can make a person ill or feel unwell.
You should be aware of that risk and be careful about what is tracked in the house and other living areas. Many of these small items of debris can attach to your clothing and specifically your shoes and make their way into your house, your car, and other areas that you frequent. From there, they could easily get into the hands or mouths of small children and cause them to become ill. If these pathogens make their way into your food preparation areas or food storage areas, they can cause immense health problems. If they get into airways or vents, they can spread throughout your house and affect the air quality.
Keep Dirt and Debris Out
One of the best things you can do to ensure that your home is safe from these germs and bacteria is to provide a way to clean off clothing items as they come into the house. Make sure that anyone who is coming from the stables or horse pasture into the house is leaving their shoes outside the door and shaking off their clothes before they enter.
They should also clean their hands once they come into the house, washing them thoroughly with soap and water. This will help to eliminate lingering germs and kill bacteria where it rests.
If you must bring dirty shoes into the house, it’s wise to place them into a designated shoe rack rather than to rest them on the floor. Also, the carpet by the door should be designated for wiping off shoes and should be cleaned regularly so that germs cannot spread easily throughout the house. This will be one of the key areas that needs to be addressed if you’re going to prevent germs from moving between the stables and your horses to the house and the people who live in it.
Keep a Tidy Home
The final bit of advice we want to leave you with is that you make sure your home is well cleaned. Don’t simply focus on the entry area, though that should be important to you for germ elimination and illness prevention. You should also have your entire house cleaned periodically.
There should be daily cleaning that takes place as well as weekly and monthly cleaning so that your entire home is cleaned thoroughly multiple times a year. William with Imagine Maids in Denver recommends that professional cleaners be used at least once a month to keep down the level of germs and bacteria in the home. This will ensure that your home stays clean and that germs don’t become too much of a problem.
If you are concerned about your home becoming a place where germs are prevalent because of the nearby horses and stables on your property, then professional cleaning is a good option. These cleaners will be able to eliminate germs much better than you can and prevent pathogens from entering the air and creating an unhealthy environment.
You can’t see these germs and bacteria that spread from horses to humans and that come in on the hay, dirt, and other debris from the staples. However, you can take steps to eliminate them. It’s smart to use antibacterial cleaners and sanitizing spray, especially on high contact areas like doors and handles.
If you can give your home a thorough cleaning on a regular basis, you should have fewer illnesses in the home, and there should be less risk of germs spreading from outside to inside. Simply take regular precautions, ensuring that no dirty clothes make their way into the house without extra care being taken to keep germs from spreading and dirt from being left behind.
If you’re able to do all this, then your home will be much cleaner and more sanitary, and you will have less to fear from the germs created in your horse stables. Just be aware of the way those germs make their way into your home and put your family at risk as well as other people who don’t even come into contact with your horses.
Suzanne Ashton: BA (Hons) in Marketing Management, Diploma in Equine Studies, B.E.M.A Member. An entrepreneur with over a decade of experience in marketing, publishing, content curation, editing, and media writing. Avid equestrian, riding since the age of 5 and owning horses for over 35 years. Proud mum to humans, dogs, and a horse.