Blair’s Letter from Warwick

Blair’s Letter from Warwick.

30^th August

It is to be hoped that eventer, Blair Richardson’s correspondence from the lockdown at Morgan Park will be short lived. Horse Deals caught up with Blair as he was preparing to return home to Scone to check on family and horses there.

So people are allowed out?

“Yes you can get out, but we must go through a strict process where we have to be washed and sign out. A bus service has been set up to take people from Morgan Park to the main shopping area in Warwick and they all have to follow the strict quarantine protocol to get out and back in. We have horses with EI at home and (my wife) Nikki left on Sunday night to look after them. I will return to Warwick on Sunday night. People are in discussion about sharing grooms and rationalizing resources. By next week more people will leave, having organised the care of their horses, but I want to be back early to monitor the condition of my Advanced horse, Maximum Overkill.

You would have had him set for the Adelaide Three Day Event in November, how is all that looking now?

“We are getting nervous about Adelaide and Claudia Graham, (Blazing Chief) is very worried. My horse and Shane Rose’s All Luck (third at the famous Burghley 3DE in England this time last year) have been vaccinated for EI in the last 12 months, so we don’t anticipate that they will get a bad bout. My horse has a runny nose this morning and Nikki Chapman told me that All Luck had a slightly elevated temperature. It is to be hoped they will get over it quickly and we can start them back in light work. Of course you have to be very careful not to work them too soon. All the horses are being monitored twice daily by the vets and are under constant supervision by owners and grooms. We think we have about two weeks up our sleeves with our Adelaide preparation. (The Adelaide Four Star 3DE this year is a serious selection trial for the domestic based 2008 Olympic hopefuls). The facilities are good here, with arenas and jumps etc. so it will be easy to work them whilst Morgan Park is still in lockdown.

How are you exercising the horses now?

“At the moment all the horses are being exercised in hand, but the promised 40 20x40 turnout yards are arriving today and the horses will be able to move around at liberty. These horses are all fit event horses so it is hard on them being so confined.

How many horses have contracted EI?

More than half the horses (over 125) have contracted the virus now and the vets tell us they all will, so really the sooner the better. (FEI vet, Julian Wilmore has told Horse Deals that the EI has not been as debilitating as expected, with horses continuing to eat and drink throughout and the horses that have contracted the flu recovering well)

So how is life in camp?

Everyone is making the best of a bad situation and maintaining their sense of humour and we are being looked after extremely well.

Today volunteers were walking around with wheelbarrows full of sandwiches drinks and fruit and handing them out. Our meals, as well as all the horse feed is being provided and they are trying to make us as comfortable as possible for the duration. Fortunately the weather is still fine.

The Endurance riders in NSW are thinking of a semi nude calendar to raise funds to cover costs for lost of income and so they can run there event next year. You are a young fit bunch up there, would you think of doing anything like that?

I’m sure we would as long as I was the photographer.

What is the feeling up there about the outbreak of EI?

It is very frustrating for everybody and of course the reason for the apparent breach of quarantine protocol needs to be investigated. The Thoroughbred industry is blaming the ‘pleasure horses’ but it would seem that the virus came in to the country via a Thoroughbred stallion from Japan, where the racing had been shut down for some time because of EI. They are rightly concerned about their breeding industry, but so are we; I know Heath (Ryan) is very worried about his 50 odd pregnant mares at Lochinvar. We are all victims.