Typhoid Mary was the nickname the press gave to an early 20th century cook who was tied to 10 typhoid outbreaks in affluent New York City area households. Through unsanitary personal habits and ignorance, she served as a “carrier” for the bacteria that caused the often-fatal disease, without becoming ill herself.

No farrier wants to become known as Strangles Sully or Rotavirus Rick. So it’s important to take steps to ensure that you’re not carrying equine illnesses from barn to barn — particularly if there is a known outbreak of any equine malady in your area.

Roberta M. Dwyer, a veterinarian and graduate of the American College of Veterinary Preventative Medicine at the University of Kentucky’s Gluck Equine Research Center, suggests that farriers make a point of asking barn owners if there are any sick horses in a barn where they are about to work. At the same time, she…