COVID PROTOCOLS AT BLUE RIVER

At Blue River, we’re doing our best to keep staff, instructors, boarders and lesson clients as safe as we can. We are following the recommendations of epidemiological scientists as this situation unfolds. We’re lucky in that we have a nice big airy covered arena with open half walls, so we’re ‘inside/outside’ and there’s plenty of fresh air dispersing rider’s exhalations. 

All of our staff is vaccinated or in the process of becoming vaccinated at this time. We want to help slow the spread of this thing, and we want to support our health care providers during this difficult time.

And yet not all of our riders are vaccinated. Many cannot be, some are still uncertain if this is right for them, some don’t share our belief that it is the best thing for the community for all of us to be vaccinated. We respect that with the cultural confusion about where to get accurate information there are differing views on this. We know this means that some of our riders are at much higher risk if they do encounter the disease than others.

Here is how we’re currently approaching this.
At all times we know that it’s possible that we might be carrying the disease asymptomatically, and so it’s important always to be careful. Masks are required.

We provide hand sanitizers, wipes and cleansers and we all do our best to keep social distances.

Your instructors and other staff members will wear our masks when we’re within 6 feet of you. We require that riders do the same.

The whole community depends on each of us being scrupulous about our health. We ask you not to come if you’re even questioning whether you’re ill. Any rider who is experiencing any symptoms of illness, please, stay home until you’ve tested clear of the virus and are completely well.

Staff members are being careful when we’re not at work and we’re observing the same protocols about our health care in coming to the barn: none of us goes to work if we’re feeling off, and if there are any Covid symptoms we’re quarantining from the rest of the household and getting tested clear of the virus before returning to be in service to the community. This has made the costs of operation more expensive but it’s what we feel is the right way to proceed.

If you will miss a lesson due to these careful practices, don’t worry! We have a library of online material that you can take to replace in-person lessons.