Whether you’re heading to your next competition, event, or even just out for a hack, keeping your horsebox clean and disinfected isn’t just about appearances; it’s a critical part of equine health and biosecurity. When horses travel, their immune systems can be under stress, making them more susceptible to illness. That’s why regular disinfection of your transport is key to protecting them from illnesses such as strangles, equine herpes virus and equine flu.
Why Disinfect Your Horsebox?
1. Guard Against Pathogens
Horseboxes can harbour bacteria, viruses, fungi and spores, especially in dark, damp corners and areas where organic matter accumulates. These pathogens can lead to respiratory issues, skin problems or contagious diseases like strangles or equine herpes virus (EHV).
2. Travel Stress Lowers Immunity
Long journeys, new environments, and switching between stables can weaken your horse’s immune system. When that happens, pathogens your horse might normally resist can become harmful. Cleaning and disinfecting the box after trips reduces this risk.
3. Reduce Cross-Contamination
If multiple horses use the same box, or you’re transporting horses to events, disinfecting helps stop the spread of infectious viruses and bacteria from horse to horse, especially around surfaces they touch the most.
How to Disinfect Your Horsebox (Step-by-Step)
Our equine disinfectant is proven to kill equine specific viruses and bacteria, and it makes the process of disinfecting your horse box efficient and safe. Our product is non-corrosive and so doesn’t damage your horsebox, and because it’s a no-rinse solution, there’s no need to wash it off after spraying. Follow these simple steps to ensure your horse box or trailer is free from viruses and bacteria:
1. Clear Out Organic Matter and Rinse
Start by removing any shavings, hay, manure and debris from the horsebox. Clearing out obvious organic material not only makes disinfecting more effective but also reduces odours and the risk of mould. Then rinse the horsebox out with water, starting with the walls first and then moving on to the floor. Finally, brush any remaining muck out of the horsebox.
2. Spray with Disinfectant
Fill your preferred sprayer (handheld pump, compression sprayer or similar) with Equine Bio Genie disinfectant. Thoroughly spray:
- All walls and floors
- Areas horses touch with their noses
- Partitions, bars, and tie-up points
- Ramps and step edges
This ensures you reach both obvious spots and those hard-to-clean surfaces where germs can linger.
3. No Need to Rinse
One of the major benefits of using Equine Bio Genie disinfectant is that there’s no need to rinse after spraying. Our disinfectant leaves no harmful residue and is ready to use again immediately after disinfecting. It’s also non-corrosive and won’t damage your horsebox, even with frequent use.
Tips for Better Biosecurity when Travelling
- Focus on touch points: horses often nuzzle rails, partitions and walls, so make sure these are well disinfected each time.
- Keep disinfectant handy on the road: Using our handy handheld sprayer to disinfect your equipment while out and about helps maintain strong biosecurity and reduces the risk of your horse picking up harmful viruses.
- Water Treatment: Avoid letting your horse share water buckets when travelling and staying away from home, as these can harbour viruses such as strangles. Use our water treatment to ensure the water is safe, as well as reducing the chlorine taste and making it more palatable for your horse.
- Combine with good mucking-out habits: removing manure and any dropped hay reduces pathogen growth and saves you time in the long run.
- Our Concentrate disinfectant is a great economical option for when you are at home, but to make life easier, choose our Ready to Use disinfectant for when you are travelling.
Routine disinfection of your horsebox isn’t just “nice to have”, it’s a vital part of keeping your horses healthy and performing at their best. Using a high-grade equine specific disinfectant like Equine Bio Genie is an effective and quick way to disinfect your horsebox, while still being safe for horses, humans and the environment.
If you would like to find out more about our products or services, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with Ben or Helen Tuckey.
Bespoke Equine Testing
We have gone to the very well respected equine laboratory of the Irish Equine Centre to have additional efficacy testing carried out.
We have commissioned testing done to unusually low contact times across various dilution rates. These tests were carried out using an equine serum as an interfering agent under clean and dirty conditions