Euthella Richmond QLD

Hi everyone.

My heart goes out to you all and your equine friends. Q is this a pre trial run for foot and mouth outbreak if so the Gov better smarten up their quartine procedures. Its a bit scarey, it will bring this country to its knees.

I really felt for the owner trainer who lost his good race horse because of EI related illness, in his interview today on the radio you could hear the emotion in his voice I guess it mirrored peoples feelings overall. I do hope the politicians read Horse Deals?? Quarantine is important its protects this countries well being and its peoples
hearts.

Good luck Cheers Maryanne Forster

EI in SA

I must say that it is good to see the pony clubs, dressage clubs, show jumpers all cancelling their events in September just to be on the safe side.

What truly disgusts me is why is this certain western club being so selfish and going ahead and running their show this weekend 16th September here in Adelaide. I mean I would much prefer to miss out on showing for a few weeks than end up not showing for 6 months.

C'mon something should be done to have this club and other western clubs cancel until further notice.

Think of everyone in this state not just yourselves......

Olympic Preparation Stalled and Qualification in Jeopardy.

"Our eventing preparation has been delayed for everyone here, there is no doubt about that” commented Heath Ryan when asked about the run up to the Olympic Games in Hong Kong next year. I have a young horse, Mystery Whisper (Pictured left) that I have taken very slowly. He was second at the Melbourne 3DE last June. He is only Two Star and was to have his first Three Star Start at Scone. He is absolutely raging now and I was going to have a shot at Olympic selection with him. It is a bit of a shot from left field and to qualify he needs to have done two Three Star Three Day Events and I don’t think that is going to be possible now. There are others with Two Star Horses, I think Stuart (Tinney) has a couple of horses he was thinking about preparing (for Olympic selection), but it will be very difficult for them now.

“Adelaide Four Star and the Sydney Three Day Event will be rescheduled, and that would be OK for selection, but there is a problem doing two Three Day Events close together. (Sydney and Melbourne). With the more experienced horses, there is concern regarding how long those affected with EI will take to be able to go hard again.

“The cancellation of the Regional Olympic Qualifier to be conducted at the Australian Dressage Championships at SIEC in October has put Australia at risk of not qualifying (a team) now, as we can’t have our showdown with the Japanese, the Koreans and New Zealand here.

“The Japanese are pushing to have it in the Northern Hemisphere and the Koreans in the past have been able to lease very good horses, so you just don’t know what would come out of the woodwork there.

“The FEI might say it has to be in Europe, but another option, which we would prefer here, would be for the Ground Jury to travel to the competition, (like the Samsung Final) in Australia, Japan or wherever. It is a possibility. (Pictured; Heath Ryan and Dr Margaret Evans' charasmatic Rubenstein stallion, Regardz Moi vying for Olympic selection Photo by Julie Wilson)

“At home (Lochinvar) we are so far flu free. We have started to go ahead with the stud season and have been pregnancy testing and follicle testing, just to get the stud work up and running, but it is worrying. We have forty mares due to foal this season and I just hope I haven’t made a stupid call”.

It's not a holiday camp!

"People are coming in and out of Morgan Park like a revolving door," Mr Frappell said.
"How does that equate to proper quarantine procedures? It's not a holiday camp."
The concerns on Sunday prompted Queensland Primary Industries Minister Tim Mulherin to order an independent review of quarantine procedures at Morgan Park.
The Age.
Read the Full Story.

This is another report about Morgan Park.

Equitana

This is an important announcement in response to the numerous calls from interested ticket holders and EQUITANA enthusiasts regarding the effect to the event from equine influenza. Please be advised that we are currently in discussions with the Victorian State Government, the venue, our event stakeholders and EFA National. We are working towards a resolution to the running of EQUITANA in 2007. Please keep checking this website for any further updates and announcements. We thank you for your understanding and support of the event.

Equitana Website

EI not spread to far North Qld.

Queensland authorities are hopeful further tests will confirm equine influenza has not spread to the far north.

Read the full story.

Vanessa Receives Upgrade At Morgan Park.

After ten days “doing it rough” at Morgan Park, Aratula (Qld) rider and coach, Vanessa Craig (Pictured; Photo by Main Event Phtography) was “lucky enough to be offered a room in one of the demountables brought into the Park”.

“I brought a horse to compete at the Warwick CIC along with some of my pupils and just got stuck here”. Vanessa originally from near Manchester in the UK has stayed on at Morgan Park to look after her own and her pupil’s horses.

“Initially I slept in the back on my float in a swag for 10 days and then I borrowed a two man tent, but the three days of rain made that quite unpleasant. I was beginning to seize up, but am much better now after a massage. I will be staying until the end of the quarantine period to look after the horses, as my pupils have had to go back to school and to work.

“It keeps me busy as there is quite a lot to do especially in the beginning, when the horses were sick, it was quite full on. They were medicated twice a day and, with frequent temperature checks and bandaging, washing rugs and generally keeping my area clean, there is not much time for anything else.

“Most of the horses are getting over the flu now, but other problems are cropping up, like laminitis and tying up, with the horses being so confined in stables and small yards. My horses are just on hay and chaff and get walked every afternoon. They all have day yards and with the horses feeling better some are playing and fighting over the rails, which is a concern.

“I have not experienced EI outbreak in the UK, but I was there for the Foot and Mouth outbreak and this is not as serious as that. But it is certainly impacting on the equine industry and those people reliant on that industry for their income. I am an EFA and BHS coach and my partner is a farrier. We have an agistment, training and breaking business, so those lines of income are not available to us at the moment. We cannot take in the booked horses and those that are there are at a reduced rate.

“I have spoken to the Center Link person here about the government compensation and the claims we are able to make and they have been extremely helpful. I think everything that can be done is being done, or being worked on. But whatever happens, we’re event riders and we’re tough”.

Unexplained Anomalies

It seems as though the message isn't getting through to a lot of people. We are in a "restricted area" where supposedly no horse equipment is to be moved. I spoke to our local rug-repairer the other day, expecting her to say she had shut down because no-one could bring in their rugs. Instead she told me it was only a little bit quieter than usual!

According to the DPI, in a press release dated 6th September, a horse near Wauchope has tested positive after attending a campdrafting event held at Narrabri on August 31. Yet all horse movements and events were supposed to have stopped from the weekend of the 25th-26th August. So how could this event have gone ahead, and why did the organisers and those who attended the event so flagrantly ignored the restrictions?

And is anyone else wondering how the DPI can state with such certainty that "Current cases can all be traced to the suspected point of introduction", and yet claim to have no idea how it escaped from Eastern Creek in the first place?

Fiona Meller

DPI Vic/NSW Border Control