One thing to keep in mind is to maintain the same distance to your horse throughout. Don’t let your partner surge or lag. He should respect your space at all times. And don’t neglect your stops. Each stop should be square and complete.

“Since farriery is considered to be essential, my work, so far, has not been affected,” Richard says. “However, I have temporarily ceased having interns travel with me during this time.”

“Try to focus on having your horse hold his lead each way while he’s jumping. That way, your horse becomes straight and more ambidextrous.”

Let’s think about how you would respond if a horse contracted Strangles in your barn. First, you would close the barn to new horses to prevent infection, ie. social distancing. You would make sure to disinfect anything that has come into contact with an infected horse, ie. wash your hands, use hand sanitizer, don’t touch your face. You wouldn’t take an infected horse to an event where it might come into contact with others and spread the disease, ie. stay at home.