May 2020 Issue

Page 4 May 2020 EAST COAST EQUESTRIAN By Amy Worden For commercial riding stable owners in the mid-Atlantic the arrival of COVID-19 quickly turned into a struggle to navigate vague and evolving state rules, while keeping customers happy and safe, their horses fed and their stable doors open. Rules on whether to open, close or modify stable operations differ from state to state. In Penn- sylvania, Gov. Tom Wolf mandat- ed all boarding stables close for “riding lessons, training, clinics or recreational riding services.” “It is critical to support the health and safety of personnel caring for animals by limiting their exposure to other people,” the state Depart- ment ofAgriculture said in a state- ment. “In addition to the COVID-19 risk from human interactions, please keep in mind that equestrian activi- ties have inherent risks and could add unnecessary strain to overburdened healthcare facilities.” At the end of March, the state of New Jersey recommended horse owners with no caretaking responsi- bility not visit barns until the end of the month, but stables were allowed to remain open if they limited visi- tors and riders, obeyed proper social distancing and implemented clean- ing and disinfecting procedures. In Maryland, as part of the state’s stay-at-home order, the Department of Agriculture issued a directive to horse farms to only allow essential personnel required for horse care on their properties. Guidance for Delaware riding fa- cilities has not been posted to the state’s Department of Agriculture website and an email request to a spokeswoman for information was not returned. Swan Lake In mid-March, all activity at Swan Lake Stables in Lit- tlestown, PA, one of the premier horse show venues in the region, suddenly ground to a halt. General manager/trainer Mary Bast was forced to cancel three horse shows in March and April, including intercollegiate regional competition. She said it was unlike- ly the facility would be able to hold its two biggest shows of the year that take place in May: St. Chris- topher and Blue Rock Classic, double A hunter/jumper shows that draw as many as 800 horses. “There’s just no way this is going to be over by then,” said Bast in a mid-April interview. Bast decided to close her barn before the stay-at-home rule went into place rather than deal with the stress of human traffic. “I didn’t have to worry about sanitizing 25 times a day,” she said. “I told boarders they could see their horses in the fields.” That decision cost her several boarders who had horses in training and decided to leave since there would be no lessons available. With the cancellation of the horse shows she had to let go two part time staff members getting grounds ready for spring show season. Commercial Stable Owners Make Tough Choices During Shutdown (Continued on page 8)