It is all very sad.

Yesterday Horse Deals caught up with Sydney Royal Show Councillor, Charlie Hooke, who is also the co-owner and breeder of the prospective Hong Kong Olympic showjumper, Wirragulla Nicklaus. Charlie along with Paul Athanasoff also stand Nicklaus and Wirragulla Hamlet at stud on their property in Dungog, currently in the Red Zone of NSW, two kilometers from the Purple Zone.

Charlie explained; “the whole EI situation is very sad and disappointing. Multi-millionaires are just walking on us, it is all to do with taxes and Government money. The non-racing horse industry does not have a voice. The rules seem to change every week and there is no common sense prevailing, it all seems ridiculous. There is a lot of ignorance in this whole debacle and we do not all seem to be traveling on the same road. People up in the near by hills are just doing what they want, as they think no one will know what they are doing behind the hill, and they have no concern for the consequences of their actions.

“This breeding season we have suspended all operations. We have been fearful that if we got mares in foal and then they contracted EI, they might abort, so we have not really tried except for three mares of our own that all showed positive pregnancy tests, then lost the foals early, we have no idea for what reason. We have not had EI here and the horses all just got vaccinated this week. We have frozen semen stored in the Purple Zone that was collected three years ago, but semen cannot leave the Purple Zone, so we have only sold one serving this season. With the floods earlier this year and now this, it has just been a bad year.

“Here we are trying to prepare Nicklaus we hope to go to the Olympics, but the uncertainty to the future of Equestrian events this season is making it all very difficult. We have been told if competitions starts again in the Purple Zone we should be able to get a permit to move Nic into that zone, the only problem will be, then he can not come back out until the Purple Zone is deemed clear. No one can suggest when that will be. We have the option of taking him to Europe early next year, but with no shows here in Australia it is not the ideal. If they cannot run selection trials here, there is still a doubt as to what combinations will receive funding to travel. There is also the added problem that to travel to Europe you need to have the flu vaccine for Europe and not the canary pox vaccine they are using here. We would like to go to New Zealand in March for the Horse of the Year show, but at this stage New Zealand are saying they do not want Australian horses, riders or jockeys in their country.

“At this stage The Agricultural Societies Council of NSW is recommending their entire member shows do not hold equestrian events. The Sydney Royal Show horse committee meets on the 12th of November to try and make a decision about horse events. We are trying to work around different options; one suggestion is to have vaccinated horses and horses that have EI anti-bodies (horses that have recovered from EI) at the show. However, even that solution has its problems, as vaccinated horses can still get EI and that could result in a lock down. With Nicklaus, I do not think we could take the risk of taking him to the show, as any lock down situation would prevent him traveling overseas for the Olympic Qualifying events.

“At this stage we are just going to keep Nicklaus working at home and after Christmas we will have to make definite plans. On a more positive note Paul has been riding in Hong Kong since the 4th of October. He has been riding a horse of Stuart Mitchell’s and a couple belonging to Kate Chong and has been doing really well. He has won about ten classes and was equal first jumping 7.2ft in a six bar”.