Bad Timing

“I was hoping for a first, but I was thinking more of a blue ribbon than having the first Australian Stock Horse to catch EI”, commented Donna Wright, whose first ever trip out to do the Western NSW run of shows came to an abrupt halt at Parkes.

Donna, back at home in Sydney briefly” to sort out work and finances”, related to Horse Deals how a combination of circumstances, (or bad luck) led to her lockdown.

“I keep my horses and teach part time at the Malabar Riding School about eight kilometers from Centennial Park near Maroubra. I bought my first ever Australian Stock Horse, Marsden Tip Off last February, and when at a training night at Centennial Park I was offered a place on a float to do the shows out west, I took it, as I don’t own a float of my own. Our trip to Parkes was very nearly delayed for 24 hours and if it had been we would be ‘happily quarantined at home’.

“The Centennial Park group of six horses plus mine all left for Parkes on Friday 24th August. We arrived at about 4pm and after organizing the horses, my traveling companion and I went to a motel, with the others staying with the horses. When we arrived on Saturday morning at 5am we were confronted with the news, broadcast on the radio, that horses from Centennial Park were suspected to be carrying EI. That was the first we knew about it. One of the horses had a bit of a cough when it arrived, but we thought that was due to the trip and the dry showgrounds. There had been a couple of horses coughing and sneezing at Centennial Park, I was told, but there are always a few that do in the stables each winter. No one thought of EI. The Centennial Park horses and eventually mine, after quite a long deliberation (I don’t know why as it had traveled and been stabled with them for the past 24 hours), were quarantined from the other horses and the show gates shut to keep others out. AQIS turned up on Saturday afternoon to take blood from two Centennial Park horses and mine. The entire Parkes Show was cancelled on Sunday.

“There was a little ill-feeling towards the Centennial Park group at first, but that has settled down with the realisation that we are innocent victims too. No one would put their horse on a float for six hours and take it to a show, if they thought it was unwell. The Centennial Park people are taking turns to look after the horses. I am heading back in the next few days, but Rose Gough, who runs the Moore Park Stables is staying up there all the time with the horses. Nothing can happen with the others at Centennial Park, but Rose has to pay staff to look after them, so it is very tough on her. I have another life away from horses, although I can’t live it at the moment.

“The DPI have been providing all the horse feed, but we have to feed ourselves and pay for the horse’s drugs. They said they would organise everything, but that has not been the case at all. We got a wheelbarrow that we needed, but when we asked for firewood, as it is cold camping at night, we were told they could not supply it, as it was a ‘non essential’ item. Thankfully when Rural Lands heard about it they brought us some wood. The EFA have given us relief money, which has been fantastic and totally unexpected and a blessing as it helps us to get by. The locals have been wonderful as well, with bread, cakes and a washing machine. There is quite a lot of washing to do with the decontamination process. Horse Deals sent us some magazines early on which was great, as we had something to read. There was a horse from Parkes advertised on page 27 and we wondered if it was in lockdown?

“All the horses have had flu and the next step is to take swabs from all of them later this week or early next week, to start to work out when it is safe to travel the horses. Originally we were told we could go on the 27th or 29th September, but we now have to wait for the test results. When we do go it will be in convoy and with a permit to go from Parkes straight to one destination. There is some concern about going through clean zones, but presumably when we leave, we can neither give nor receive the virus. I am told that when I go back to Parkes there will be a lot of plastic bags for gear that we don’t use, that can be decontaminated and then sealed, which is a positive move”

Horse Deals will contact Donna and co from Parkes next week to find out if they have tracked down a release date.