Sunday Sermon.

21st October.

The 7.30 Report on the ABC a few nights ago gave a clear view of the division caused by the outbreak of EI. On the one hand we saw John Messara, chief of the Australian Thoroughbred Breeders Association and on the other, modern Australia’s answer to Peter Lalor, Heath Ryan. John, in tailored suit and impeccably groomed, explained in modulated tones the importance of the Throughbred industry to the Australian economy, to justify the treatment, principally with regard to vaccination, it was receiving. On the other hand Heath, who like the Eureka Stockade hero, Lalor is “a bluff straight forward gent who blurts out plain truths in a homely, matter of fact style”; and “fought for the truth as he saw it” (a quote from the Melbourne Argus in the 1860’s). Heath, with horse in hand, spoke in his usual impassioned way for the rest of us. His efforts received considerable praise from readers of this website, whilst John Messara received none. It would be fair to say that Messara received commendation on the racing blogs. However, they are both doing their best as they see it for their own side.

Of course the virus does not distinguish racehorse from dressage horse and the disharmony within the entire horse industry, coupled with perceived Governmental ineptitude, has given the virus free rein to run seemingly out of control. To be offended that the racehorses receive preferential treatment would be like the showjumping and dressage community being offended that he eventers are receiving more funding. Three consecutive Olympic Eventing Gold Medals, Barcelona, Atlanta and Sydney and a 2006 WEG Bronze Medal have guaranteed government funding of all Olympic discipline equestrian sport. Governments love Olympic Gold Medals, with all politicians trying to get photographed as close to the recipients as possible. Fair enough, they helped get them. And it’s not just the horsey set that is moved by an Olympic Gold Medal. The entire nation was excited and moved by our Sydney Eventing Gold Medal. And it’s not just the racing community that was blown away by Makybe Diva’s sensational third Melbourne Cup win. We are on common ground here, or at least we should be.

In England the Horse Race Betting Levy Board funds the Animal Health Trust, an organisation that benefits horses (and other animals) around the world through its research into disease including EI. There is a big argument for the government and /or TABcorp to fund such an organisation here. Now is the time and whether or not, racehorses were the principal concern, all others would benefit. We have to try and drag something out of this whole sorry mess. Passion is wonderful, so are reason and common sense. We need them all. The Australian Horse Industry Council already has a foot in the door; with our help they can put their shoulder to it.

But we continue to squabble about what vaccine to use, whether we should use it and compensation. Many who have not contacted the virus maintain they do no want to vaccinate because they have worked so hard at their bio-security. Surely the bio-security recommended at the moment is only slightly above how it should always be. But we are a funny lot. International showjumping rider Greg Smith and his wife Pam maintain a horse truck, clean enough to “eat off the floor”. They have been subject to some light hearted ridicule over the years. It would seem their approach, which involved gear, rugs stables etc. was close to the mark and bio-security for them would involves minimal effort. We all need to learn from this episode.

There is some concern regarding the gene modified canary pox vaccine, ProteqFlu. Some states are against gene modification per se. However, this vaccine containing the live canary pox virus “does not replicate in non avian species” and its use will not affect the dog food market, nor the human food market for that matter. ProteqFlu is apparently a very affective vaccine, especially amongst the naive community and thought to be better, certainly in the first line of defence. Live or killed vaccine aside, it seems very likely as affirmed by Sunshine Coast veterinarian Stuart Bryce on the 17th October, that we will be vaccinating up to (at least) 2012. As everyone keeps saying, “after the Cup” we will know more. Adding another piece of paper to our horse registration cannot be so bad. Adding further cost at a time when keeping a horse is very expensive is bad. However, it would seem that the cost of feed, given the drought is a far greater concern that Flu vaccinations. But it is another cost, whether or not we can bring the price down by various means, including the possibility of producing the vaccine in Australia, it is still another cost and for some it may be one cost too many. The pleasure horse industry is reliant on the professional horse industry, whose needs are greater? We cannot keep people out of work indefinitely.

Perceived criminal behaviour should be reported and dealt with, but it is not wholesale anarchy. We must all come to some agreement and that appears to include vaccination. Two hundred dollars a year seems a small sum to the many who are loosing thousands and indeed professions. We need leadership, diplomacy and even compromise to get through this.

Anna Sharpley.

PPHI - FIRST FABULOUS WEEK UPDATE - SAT 20th October

Good Afternoon Equine Lovers,

Well, what an amazing first week for everyone involved. Absolutely, first and foremost, I want to Thank the equine community for sending me (on behalf of your new Committee) all your emails of unqualified support, unity, 'Finally a united', Thanks and Congratulations etc. I personally have received over a thousand emails this week (on behalf of your committee) and it's only the first week! I want to apologise to those emailers that I took a few days to respond to. On one recent night, at 1am, I still had 126 new emails in my inbox. I have received emails from as far and wide as Tassie, Charters Towers, Cloncurry, Rockhampton, Adelaide, Cairns, Canberra, right throughout Sydney and surrounds. And I sincerely Thank each and everyone of you. I want to especially and sincerely Thank you for your stories/emails of tragic losses. Your stories are now being heard, passionately cared about and finally acted upon. Your losses will never be forgotten – they are each/all extremely important and I know I can speak on behalf of your Crisis Committee that your information will only further encourage them both, individually and collectively as a unified voice to engage govt on your behalf and to never allow this to happen again! These committee members are within your/own equine communities and are living these stories on acting upon them. This is exactly the reason for the formation of this Unified Positive Working Crisis Committee to speak with a united, positive and passionate voice to those we pay. You are not alone – we hear your suffering, your anger and frustration and the inequity of how the entire equine industry is being treated and this is exactly why your committee was formed. This committee is only as good as what information and requests we give them. It is OUR committee – yes, we own it and it up to us all individually and collectively through your own pony clubs and many varied disciplines to support this committee. IT IS OUR COMMITTEE REPRESENTING US ALL WITH POSITIVE UNITY AND UNEQUALLED PASSIONATE.

Each committee member was asked to submit their top five (5) highest priority issues that they knew of within their own 'equine worlds' and from their own vast individual experiences and from chatting with their own equine colleagues, friends and neighbours. So, here ya go, from a total of fifty (50) possible varying issues and various priorities – this group (yours/our reps) of passionate, intelligent equine colleagues came up with eight (8) combined/interlocking/inter-woven priorities that are the highest priorities across the entire equine community. Talk about unity, talk about positive re-enforcement from all the varying disciplines, groups, clubs, associations, retailers, produce stores, farriers, vets, allied service industries et al.

WELL HERE, FELLOW EQUINE COMMUNITY IS YOUR PROOF OF A UNIFIED AND INTELLIGENT COMMITTEE COMMITTED TO WORKING ON YOUR/OUR BEHALF AND NOW WE ALL HAVE IT IN BLACK AND WHITE ON OUR SCREENS IN FRONT OF US – RIGHT HERE AND RIGHT NOW. IT HAS HAPPENED ! AND AGAIN, THIS IS ONLY THE FIRST WEEK !!

So, I honourably present to you (on behalf of your committee) those eight (8) highest priority combined/ interwoven issues from across the entire community in no particular order: and I quote:

From our meeting on Wednesday ( !7th ) we agreed on
8 Agenda / Priority Points.

1. Demographics of the Horse Industry.

2. Eradication of the disease

3. Equity of movement and vaccine distribution.

4. Identification of Horses ( including vaccination process, microchipping / passports? )

5. Publicity & Communication (divided into horse industry & general public inc GOVT )

6. Financial Assistance Equity ( availability all needs review )

7. Recovery Planning & Strategy

8. Industry Confidence & Optimism . HORSE WELFARE & Emotive Issues.
end quote.

I can also report that the committee members have had very high level meetings within the entire equine community and there are more meetings at the highest levels this week coming. We have not only achieved all of the fabulous unified successes from this first week BUT this next coming week of scheduled meetings is even at the highest state government levels with even more federal meetings as well. AGAIN, HERE IS THE PROOF OF A UNIFIED ACTIVE VOICE ACTING ON OUR BEHALF, TAKING OUR ISSUES/MESSAGE FORWARD EVERY DAY AND THE RESPECT FOR THIS COMMITTEE (OF WHOM THEY REPRESENT) IS GROWING EVERY DAY WITHIN STATE, FEDERAL GOVT LEVELS AND ESPECIALLY WITHIN THE EVEN BROADER EQUINE COMMUNITY.

The committee is formulating sub-committees to focus on each priority point to be accountable for and to report back to the main committee. Equine community, this is a fast-moving, fast-reacting committee of highly passionate and intelligent equine folk. If this was such an easy task, I believe it would have been done decades ago. But, it wasn't and hasn't been done up until now, and now these committee members are having to move to & fro to make this whole thing work. I personally have absolute trust and confidence in them both individually and collectively.

MY FELLOW EQUINE COLLEAGUES – WITH THIS UNIQUE NATIONAL SITUATION – IT HAS BEGUN, IT HAS ALREADY ACHIEVED BOTH STATE AND FEDERAL RESPECT BECAUSE THEY ACT AS A POSITIVE UNIFIED VOICE FOR US – ALL OF US.

A sincere and genuine THANKYOU for each and everyone one of you/us who have read the emails and forwarded them onto your own networks, websites, friends, neighbours and equine colleagues. OUR EQUINE COMMUNITY NETWORK IS VERY ALIVE AND VERY HEALTHY. (I received emails that told me how some people received the same email up to seven (7) times from all their own individual network of circles and friends and NOT ONE COMPLAINT !! all these people felt included within their own circle of email networks and also within the wider equine community – I myself, received my own email back several times J. And all these emails Thanked this committee of positive unity and everyone who sent the information through to them. We absolutely must keep it going !

I REPEAT THAT WE HAVE ONLY JUST BEGUN - WE MUST KEEP GOING – THIS UNIQUE NATIONAL STORY WILL BE TOLD TO OUR KIDS AND OUR GRANDKIDS BY WE ADULTS OF WHAT IS HAPPENING TO OUR HORSES AND FOALS AND OUR ENTIRE INDUSTRY RIGHT NOW IN 2007 – 2008. WHAT WE ARE ALL DOING IS BEING A PART OF AND CREATING NATIONAL HISTORY – A UNIQUE AND TRAGIC STORY/ CHALLENGE OF HARDSHIP THAT WAS THEN TURNED AROUND INTO THE MOST POSITIVE AND UNIFIED OUTCOME THAT HAS EVER HAPPENED IN THIS NATION. AND THE ENTIRE UNIFIED EQUINE INDUSTRY IS SO MUCH BETTER TODAY BECAUSE OF OUR ACTIONS AND DECISIONS BACK IN 2007. THIS PERIOD WILL BECOME NATIONAL FOLKLORE CHATTED ABOUT CAMPFIRES AND AT WEEKEND EVENTS OVER A RED OR TWO.

AND THEN, IN 2010, WHAT VERY IMPORTANT ROLE I PLAYED IN EQUINE INDUSTRY. THIS IS EQUINE HISTORY IN THE MAKING – RIGHT HERE, RIGHT NOW AND YOU/WE ARE A HUGE PART OF IT. PLEASE ALLOW ME TO BE RESPECTFULLY BLUNT – HERE IT IS – WHEN YOU LOOK YOUR CHILDREN/GRAND-CHILDREN IN THE EYE – EXACTLY WHAT STORY DO YOU WANT TO TELL THEM?

IT'S UP TO US TO TELL OUR BELOVED THAT GREAT FABLED STORY AND IT’S UP TO US TO PLAY THAT ROLE. RIGHT HERE AND RIGHT NOW – TOMORROW, MAY BE TOO LATE? WE NEED YOUR UNIFIED SUPPORT AND ACTION RIGHT NOW !!

This is now our time and our situation, (make no mistake this damn EI was not our fault, but it is our problem and the effects are ever far reaching) but now, we are being heard and your information is now being acted upon, your committee is working endless hours on your/our behalf and they need our continued support.

I personally and passionately ask you: "What can you do to further support and unify this committee?" I ask you as the minimum, as extremely important support is to further send this email on to as many as possible and as far and wide as possible, please.

Sent for and on behalf of your PPHI - Working Crisis Committee.
Stay tuned, ready and available for further regular updates coming from your committee. We have just begun!!

Wishing us all a speedy and successful recovery …. I can feel it coming, can you?

Mark FreemantlePasture and Stable Services

Workers sue over horse flu outbreak

Frank Walker October 21, 2007

THOUSANDS of horse industry workers will be included in a planned class action suing the Federal Government for hundreds of millions of dollars in losses because of the horse flu outbreak.

Lawyers representing several horse associations said they were building a case against the Federal Government's Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service based on alleged negligence for failing to prevent the outbreak.

A law firm planning a class action, Clinch Neville Long Letherbarrow, is collecting details of financial losses from a range of people in the horse industry.

"They include vets, saddlers, riding schools, instructors, farriers, equestrian associations, suppliers and breeders," said a partner in the firm, Matthew Hourn.

"Tens of thousands of people lost their income.
"About 90 per cent of the several thousand people joining the plan for a class action are from outside the racing industry."

Read more.

Poor old DPI ??

Poor old DPI Rod ???

What about "poor old us" i.e. those of us facing financial burden over what can only be described as lack of any effective leadership or planning. Who's paying my agistment bill ?? Who's going to reimburse me and many others for loss of stud fees etc ?? Because we don't derive the majority of our income from our horses, we're not entitled to recoup these losses. Your comment "there is a compromise between perfect disease control on one hand and reducing the economic effects on the other" doesn't make sense to those of us outside that purple zone. Where is the reduction in economic effects for the rest of us ?? We don't even get the "perfect disease control", we just get compromised.
You can't honestly say your proud of whats been achieved by the DPI. They blatantly pandered to the people with the fistful of dollar bills, bowed to the their wishes because it feeds the governments coffers.

You obviously haven't read the story from Byalee Stud re the purple zone. They haven't seen the rush to their door due to the extension of the purple zone. You should really go and read that very tragic story.

Do you have any idea as to when horses residing in the purple zone, who have had EI & recovered, will be able to leave and make their journey to their rightful homes in green and amber zones. It's not a hard question, but one that NO ONE will answer.

Due to the lack of any real information from the DPI, we can only go on what is written by others, hence our information about horses not being used for pet meat. But here again, how many pedigree dog owners will want to feed their dogs GM meat. They're fussy at the best of times. NZ has said they won't accept horses (live) from Australia vaccinated with the Canary Pox, so the performance horse market has lost a potential buyer. Can you guarantee that no GM horse meat will find its way to the human market ? What measures have been set in place to make sure it doesn't find it's way to our "meat pies".

We're not asking for the earth or even the winning lotto numbers, all we are asking for is honest answers to our questions, and for someone to take a stand and not answer with - we can't answer that right now. We're starting to get sick of being the guinea pigs. You can't honestly expect horse owners to hang in limbo until you've finished playing with us. We want a DATE, by which when we reach it, you remove zoning and let us get on our way, either living with EI or not. Why isn't everything in the Amber zone being vaccinated to make a greater buffer zone to the green zone ?. Give us the dead vaccine, we at least will offer some protection...... That has to make sense. Right now we're just literally sitting ducks.

Frustrated horse owner
Sue R

Industry changed forever

Diane Sheehan

October 19, 2007 12:00am
ONE of the problems with equine influenza, which strikes horses, mules and donkeys, is that the effects on humans are difficult to see.

This viral disease spreads like wildfire and causes respiratory symptoms of the kind with which most humans who have been laid low with the flu are all too familiar. Fortunately, there is no risk of humans catching the disease from horses.

The images we see in the media are of empty racecourses and TABs as well as the odd thoroughbred looking worse for wear. For many people not involved in horse industries in New South Wales and Queensland, or who are not fans of horseracing, it may not seem to be all that serious.
What is difficult to encapsulate in the media reports are the thousands of people in financial and emotional distress.

Anyone who thinks, as we have seen reported on occasion, that the only people who have benefited from horse flu are veterinarians, has not been looking at my emails. Some veterinary practices that specialise in equine services have seen their incomes cut by 95 per cent. To understand why this has occurred, you need to understand what has happened to the income of vets' clients.

Read more.

Fun in the red zone despite equine influenza

October 19, 2007 12:00am

FIRSTLY, forget the notion, apparently believed by some, that you can get the flu from a horse.

Secondly, there are plenty of healthy but bored horses not being ridden because people who pay to enjoy the occasional ride are staying away from stables in droves.

Lynne Croft and Ian Rudd, who keep 18 riding horses on a property fronting the shallow Lake Weyba, near Noosa, are battling.

None of their horses are ill. Car tyres are sprayed with disinfectant upon entering the property. Their business, Clip Clop Horse Treks, is not roaming as far as before the outbreak, but the Department of Primary Industries has allowed horses to access the lake.

For anyone who gets pleasure riding where tawny frogmouths and corellas look down from tall eucalypts, then a two-hour Clip Clop outing fits the bill.

The author joined three Noosa tourists – from Sydney, England and Holland – for a stress-easing amble around the margins of a national park.
In case customers are claiming greater riding skill than they have, Rudd previews each ride with a run-through of the basics.

Halfway through, we tether six horses in the shade, tuck in to fresh damper and syrup, and feed crumbs to fish in the clear Horseman's Creek.
The ride's finale is what we're anticipating. Single file, the horses walk through the shallows of Lake Weyba – a Gubbi Gubbi tribal name for stingray. Rudd has also seen sand sharks and wobbegongs basking in the warm shallows.

On Croft's direction, we give the horses their heads. The water is close to 20cm deep and our mounts lift their legs high has they canter, splashing water everywhere. Riders get drenched. Supplied rubber boots squelch, but it's a warm day and the run is pure fun.

Horse flu restrictions, however, are severely affecting the business, Croft said.

Read more.

The President of the Australian Horse Industry Council Mr Barry Smyth

17 October: The President of the Australian Horse Industry Council Mr Barry Smyth provides commentary on the impact of equine influenza on the Australian horse industry. Mr Smyth encourages all horse owners to maintain strict biosecurity and says financial assistance is available for those impacted by the outbreak.

Audio [2.45mb] mp3 - duration 2:41 min

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