We've Got It.

Over the last three weeks Horse Deals has been talking to Heath Ryan regarding the situation at Lochinvar. When we rang this morning for an update, we were greeted with, “well we’ve got it. We just watched EI come down the road, despite all the bio-security measures we put in place. It just came from paddock to paddock. At this stage though it does not look as if it is going to develop into a serious situation”.

We rang to find out about the vaccination programme regarding the elite horses. “The imported horses do not have it and I can’t be sure, but I think Jive Magic and Regardez Moi had EI as two-year-olds in England, which should give them some immunity. Anyway they do not have it, neither do Greenoaks Dundee or Donna Carrera. Both would have been vaccinated in the past, Dundee 12 months ago when he went to Europe. We were certainly part of the Olympic horse and valuable stud stock vaccination programme, but I’m not sure what will happen now that we have EI here and there is the argument that these horses might be incubating. It is yet another case of shutting the stable door after the horse has bolted.

“So much is being reported about how many millions this or that racing personality is loosing, but very little about anyone else. If you are loosing millions, then you are making millions and the glass is half full. There are as many people involved in the equine industry outside of racing and the Thoroughbred industry, but not the amount of money involved. We can either sit back, cop it on the chin and go out of business, or (regrettably) take legal action. I’m not sure joining in a class action with the racing industry is the way to go, as we would always be secondary to them. I think we must seek just compensation on our own behalf. There are so many people out there seriously hurting”.

When Heath answered the telephone we asked, are you busy, can we talk? “Certainly” he said, “I am just doing a piaffe to walk transition with Dundee”! A period of long rein walk followed as we talked. (Heath’s horses will soon recognise our ring and immediately walk. There will be no mobile phones allowed at SIEC from now on.) “I’m trying to make this period as productive as possible and am exploring territory I would not usually be experiencing. In competition you get no prizes for getting into deep water and it not working. In my mind’s eye, I’m up there with Anky”.

We thought we had better leave Heath to his training and catch up with him next week for another EI situation report.