The top priority is quality of care of the horses within the facility, according to Barnes. The second factor is location. Some owners want to be able to visit their horses at the facility, so they desire a facility close to home. The third factor concerns show horses whose owners want or need the horse to remain in work during the quarantine period. This can be especially important for stallions, which can be in quarantine for many weeks.
Some people choose a facility based solely on the ability to exercise a horse during quarantine.
One such facility I recently visited is Runaway South in Wellington, Fla., which has a jump field and dressage ring that can be used by the quarantined horses in order to keep them fit during the quarantine period. The last factor, but certainly not the least, is the cost. CEM quarantine facilities are expensive. Most facilities charge board on a daily basis, so the quicker the horse can leave quarantine, the less expensive the board bill. A licensed and accredited veterinarian must perform the culturing procedures on the horses and supervise the test breeding of stallions.