Long wait for showjumper may be ending

A QUARANTINE station to vet horses crossing the border will end 10 weeks of frustration and thousands of kilometres of travel for a Wodonga equestrian.

Showjumper Kelly Lees and four of her horses were stranded at Condoblin when authorities halted all movement across the country due to the equine influenza outbreak in August.
The horses were eventually allowed to move but only to the NSW border.
For the past 10 weeks they have been agisted on a property at Gerogery.
It has been a 40km round trip, four times a week since then for Mrs Lees.
But the possibility of the quarantine station at the Albury-Wodonga equestrian centre may bring an end to all that.
“It is great news but there is nothing set in concrete yet,” Mrs Lees said.
“The reality is this may be our only opportunity to get the horses across the Border for many months.
“It is pretty clear that they are not going to open up the Borders until the last case of EI has run its course.
“I’m just crossing my fingers and hoping it happens sooner rather than later.”
Mrs Lees said the risk of infection spreading from the quarantine station would be minimal.
“They are not going to take any risks.”