A Bonza Gesture

“We really have all appreciated the Horse Deals Magazines sent up to us here, it was a bonza gesture” commented Parkes Showgrounds inmate, Nerida Corbett.

The ability to make the most of a situation is evident amongst the Parkes lockdown population. Nerida continues;-

“We are all going very well, there are about 15 of us here from all over the state. We have a communal barbeque at night and if not too tired sit around the campfire. There is quite a hill here and by the time you have walked up and back four or so times, it feels like Mt Everest! Someone brought in a cooker and you just put the veggies and the meat in and we have had a couple of baked dinners which was really good”, Nerida said with a laugh.

“A lovely local lady called Vera, who is champion cook of Parkes Show has baked a lot of beautiful cakes and brought them in for us all. Another local lady had organised the Parkes French Bakery to donate bread, which is really good, as it all helps. The DPI supplies the horse feed, but we feed ourselves, and it is a real communal effort. We are living in the trucks and the DPI have organised a couple of caravans, so it’s been good.

“All 36 horses have had the flu and all are well on the mend now thank goodness. At this stage if all continues to go well we hope to be able to leave by the end of the month”.

Thanks to Horse Deals

I was hoping that you could pass my thanks on behalf of the members of the ASHS in SA to Kerri Cock and the staff at Horse Deals, for their total support to the horse industry during this time.

Horse Deals has done a wonderful job of keeping everyone informed and up to date on the Equine Flu status around Australia. We are very grateful that Horse Deals has not only given those in the lockdown areas a voice, but also allowed the correct information on this virus to reach all horse people. Whilst PIRSA is doing all that they can, Horse Deals has been a vital conductor in getting the right information out to us all.

Thanks Horse Deals!

Regards,Felicity Green
President SA State Management Council ASHS

People do not seem to understand

I am having difficulty understanding why so many are in an insane rush to have quarantine lifted!!

Having horses confined for up to 50 days is a small price to pay for the containment of EI. In fact I do not think the quarantine procedures are stringent enough!!! Allowing race meetings for example is not acceptable.
I realise that peoples livelihood is at risk. I am one of those that make a living from the leisure horse industry. I however can see the benefit of making Australia EI free. All the feedback I am getting from vets, DPI etc say that this is still possible.

People need to be patient. The alternative will mean inconvenience for ever, not just 50 days!!!!!!!!

Todd McDonald-Smith
SE Queensland

Unnecessary Quarantine

It is not good enough that the DPI can not provide horse owners with answers about quarantine periods. Is is really that hard? It is not acceptable to say 'wait a few months'. Peoples lives and horses welfare are at threat. Being unnecessarily cautions is damaging people financially and impacting horses welfare. If horses are no longer shedding the disease they should be permitted to travel. I am speaking from the point of view from horses that are being confined in stables and small yards.

It is three weeks since the virus was detected in my mare yet suggestions of quarantine periods of more than 50 days are still being toyed with. It has also being pointed out to me that once quarantine is lifted from an area the 'state-wide' ban on movement prevents much changing for horses stuck in quarantine areas. How hard is it to determine how long the virus is a threat? Obviously too hard for the DPI.

When I showed concern for my horses welfare a DPI representative failed to understand how confining a horse for 50 days might impact on its health. It is these people who are in charge of deciding the course of this situation and indeed the welfare of our horses!

Owners deserve answers. Give us a date and we might be able to accept it. Give us some restrictions and we might be able to live with them but don't play dictator for the fun of it.

Jamie Turner

Nannies Not Nursing

Often when we have been driving through the Hunter Valley we have encountered the charming, but rather unusual sight of a huge Clydesdale mare with a petite Thoroughbred foal at foot. More than likely the mare is one of the Hunter Nursing Nannies.

“In times of peace”, commented Lisa Randle of Hunter Nursing Nannies, we offer a fostering service predominantly for orphan foals. There are also other calls on the foster mothers, for instance if the mare is lamanitic, post surgery or has to go to stud and they do not want to put the foal through the stress of traveling. So it is a lot more than just orphans, to the point that last year we fostered 75 foals.

“Mostly we have Clydesdale or Clydesdale cross mares, because they have such good temperaments. People think we have the Clydes because they produce more milk, but the milk flow regulates to demand. So it is nothing to do with milk production.

“We put a lot of thought into the breeding of the foster mothers, as all the foals must have a place in this world. We have a Clydesdale stallion here, but the young mares are put in foal to a Thoroughbred. We breed three quarter Thoroughbred, quarter Clydesdale horses, which make good eventing and sport horses, a lot of which are sold through Horse Deals. We hand rear the foals like poddy calves, poddy foals in fact. They do very well reared like that.

“The flu has basically shut us down and out nanny mares are our sole source of income and at this time of year we put three extra people on. But because of the restriction on movement we cannot foster a foal. We have had about 20 calls for foster mothers since the restrictions began. Every time we have applied for a permit we have been knocked back until today. We have been given a permit to take a foster mother to a stud close to us.

“There is a little light at the end of the tunnel for us as Thoroughbred Breeders of Australia president, John Messara, is putting a proposal to the government to establish a Purple Zone for movement between Scone, Singleton and Muswellbrook. If that happens we can move the foster mares to where they are needed. That will add to the risk of infection, but the cure is worse than the disease. We have employed strict bio-security with cars driving through lime, foot baths and bio-security plastic suits etc, but containment is not going to solve our problem, we need to vaccinate”.

Read more about Hunter Nursing Nannies.

Vaccinate or lose horse training industry 'by Christmas'

Horse trainers at the largest racecourse in New South Wales say they will be forced out of business by Christmas if the State and Federal governments do not agree to vaccinate horses against the flu.

Read the full story