On August 6, 2020, a cloned Przewalski’s horse foal was born at the Texas veterinary facility, Timber Creek Veterinary, a long-time collaborator with ViaGen Equine in Cedar Park, Texas, a world leader in cloning services. To bring a cloned Przewalski’s foal into the world, they worked together with San Diego Zoo Global’s Frozen Zoo, and Revive & Restore, a conservation organization promoting biotechnology in conservation techniques.

A professor of Animal Sciences at Colorado State University, Dr. Temple Grandin is a world famous expert in animal behaviour and livestock handling. While renowned for her innovations in the design of handling facilities and improving animal welfare in the livestock industry, Dr. Grandin is perhaps best known for overcoming her personal struggles with autism. She continues to teach and pursue her research while lecturing around the world on autism and livestock handling.

With the coronavirus pandemic expected to continue for an unspecified length of time, horse industry businesses have been considering how best to reduce the spread of the virus, maintain a healthy environment for staff, horses, and clients, while also operating effectively. In many operations, participants can easily maintain a physical distance of two metres, which provincial and federal governments continue to encourage to reduce the potential spread of COVID-19. However, some businesses have shared spaces — for example, tack rooms at boarding facilities — where riders and owners are more likely to touch the same surfaces. As such, riders, trainers, owners, grooms, transporters, professionals, and caregivers who work in the horse industry are struggling to figure out how to operate in these uncertain times.

A couple of months ago, reality shifted as the COVID-19 pandemic reshaped our lives. We were all left facing challenges beyond anything we could have imagined. The equestrian community is no different from any other community in finding itself cut off from normality, but we are dealing with the added emotional challenge of being disconnected from the thing that grounds us in difficult times: our connection with our horses. We may also face distress over the financial impact of this unprecedented event on our lives, businesses, and the welfare of our animals.