Gwydir Highway east of Moree cleared for horse movements

Horses are now able to move freely between Moree and the Coast via the Gwydir Highway following an extension to the NSW Equine Influenza Protection plan’s green zone.

The green zone boundary has been adjusted to take in a small section of the Gwydir Highway near Moree that remained in the amber zone when a further 10 million hectares moved from high risk (amber) to lower risk (green) this week.

It includes the township of Moree and extends about 6 km west of Moree and 6 km south of Moree on the Newell Highway.

Deputy Chief Veterinary Officer, Steve Dunn, said the decision to extend the boundary had been taken to facilitate horse movements along the only direct route to Warialda and the coast.

“Each decision to alter the status of a zone is based on proof-of-freedom testing because we have to be certain that there is no disease present,” Mr Dunn said.

“It makes sense to include the Gwydir Highway east in the green zone because it opens up an important transport route to horse owners who have waited a long time to participate in events or move their horse to another location.”

Mr Dunn said a Travelling Horse Statement (THS) is required for each and every movement within the green zone, and must be carried at all times.

However, a permit is needed for movements into the amber, red and purple zones as well as Interstate.

A THS is easy to obtain online by going to www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/equine-influenza. It involves filling out a form and printing a copy to take on the journey.

Information supplied on the THS form is stored in the NSW DPI database, and carefully examined to identify any illegal movements that could jeopardise the disease control efforts. THS information will also help trace movements in the unlikely event that EI is detected in the area.

People without internet access can either visit their local library, or ring the disease hotline on 1800 675 888 and the staff will fax their THS to them.

Anyone requiring a permit should contact their local Rural Lands Protection Board.

NSW Dept of Primary Industries

Protocols for the movement of horses from infected states on the way

The National Management Group (NMG) overseeing the response to equine influenza has reaffirmed that the focus continues to be control of the disease and there reamins a strong expectation eradication will be achieved if people adhere to precautions designed to prevent its spread.

At its most recent meeting, NMG welcomed news of positive developments including an increase in the number of green zones in NSW, zone changes planned for early December in Queensland, and a return to Sydney metropolitan and SE Queensland racing this weekend.

NMG was also encouraged by a reduction in numbers of new infected premises being reported and the continued roll out of the vaccination program.

NMG’s view is the battle with equine influenza is being won, but during the pending Christmas holiday period as many people move about and come into contact with horses, strict compliance with ongoing biosecurity measures will be required to ensure there are no new outbreaks of the disease.

NMG agreed that further work proceed on a number of protocols that will progressively free up the movement of horses between control zones and also between states.

These protocols will allow horses that have been stranded in infected states since August to return to their home states once certain conditions have been met.

Different protocols will apply depending on which zone the horse is currently located and where its final destination is. NMG expects each jurisdiction to issue formal notification of these new arrangements soon.

NMG is comprised of the Chief Executive Officers of the Commonwealth and State/Territory departments of agriculture/primary industries across Australia and also representatives of the horse industry peak bodies. It is chaired by the Secretary of the Australian Government Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Dr Conall O’Connell.

Contacts:
Australian Chief Veterinary Officer (A/g), Dr Bob Biddle (02) 6272 5364
Chief Executive Australian Racing Board, Andrew Harding (0417) 043 233
President Australian Horse Industry Council, Dr Barry Smyth (0417) 549 189
Chief Executive Australian Harness Racing Council, Rod Pollock (03) 9867 8033

Could your business or club survive another stock standstill? - FREE WORKSHOPS

Do you provide products or services for the horse industry? How will you survive another stock standstill or other emergency or business disruption?

While Equine Influenza is present in Australia, another stock standstill can be called at any time – is your business (including organisations & self-employed) ready& able to cope?

Horse training & breaking, farrier, fodder, agistment, saddlery & repairs, horse clubs, shows and events, transporting, hired horse venues, coaching etc. are invited to this Business Contingency Planning FREE workshop.

Mt Barker Natural Resources Management Centre Cnr. Mann & Walker Street (enter off Steven Street) Thursday December 13th 7 – 9.30pm

+++ Mt Gambier Workshop date will need to be changed due to unforseen circumstances+++

Workshops will also be held in Port Lincoln, Oakbank, Morphettville, Globe Derby, Gawler and other venues early in 2008. Registrations of interest welcome.

Bookings essential with Horse SA Ph 08 8294 2460 or Email horsesa@horsesa.asn.au

Horse industry welcomes change

Horse SA is recommending horse owners and event organisers check the Primary Industries and Resources SA (PIRSA) web site regularly to keep up to date with changes.

PIRSA announced last week that:
• The permit system for transporting vaccinated and non-vaccinated horses into South Australia from non-infected states would change to a Horse Health Statement
• Riders/owners wanting to attend equestrian events will be required to obtain an Event Participation Declaration.
• The permit system for events will continue, but with changes to help equestrian organisations resume activities.

Horse SA Executive Officer, Julie Fiedler, said that it was important for all in the horse industry be aware of the changes.

“The horse industry has worked with PIRSA to develop effective security measures that will facilitate a progressive resumption of horse activities by January 2008,” she said.

“To that end, we each have a role to play to ensure that we understand and abide by the changes to keep South Australia free of horse flu.

“Given the huge impact horse flu has had on SA’s horse industry even though we’re are not an infected jurisdiction, it is critical that events that receive permits for 2008 have the highest level of biosecurity and contingency planning possible.”

HorseSA

Equine influenza outbreak - 30/11/2007

There are 2095 Infected Properties (IPs) in Queensland with 40 new IPs recorded. However, there is a continuing reduction in IPs due to reclassification to the status of R (Resolved). A property's R status means that its horses are no longer shedding the virus. Please maintain decontamination procedures and remain vigilant.

Wanted! Quarantine facilities for horses

Primary Industries and Resources SA (PIRSA) is looking for one or more properties with facilities suitable for quarantining horses.

South Australian Chief Veterinary Officer Dr Rob Rahaley said PIRSA had looked at a number of properties but none was suitable.

“With the continued success of the containment and eradication program for Equine Influenza in NSW and QLD, plans have been developed to repatriate South Australian horses that have been stranded interstate for the past three months,” Dr Rahaley said.

“Under nationally agreed conditions, repatriated horses will have to spend up to 14 days in quarantine on arrival back in SA.”

Dr Rahaley said that there was no official quarantine station in the State suitable for horses.

“We are appealing for help to assist with identification of a suitable site because we’d like to bring these horses home before Christmas.”

Key criteria:
• An isolated facility with good fencing, water and an exercise area
• Accommodation for up to 30 horses for a two week period
• The facility must be at least 300 metres away from other horses
• Shower and toilet facilities for people caring for the horses

Dr Rahaley emphasised that PIRSA would only repatriate horses that were very low risk and extremely unlikely to be infected with equine influenza. The quarantine requirement was just added insurance.

Anyone who knows of a suitable facility is asked to contact PIRSA on 1800 675 888.

Racing set to resume at Randwick

Racing will resume at Sydney's Randwick Racecourse tomorrow for the first time since the horse flu outbreak.

The outbreak struck down 140,000 horses across the state and the effects are still being felt throughout the industry.

Racing NSW chief executive Peter V'landys says the state's TAB has already lost $250 million in betting turn-over, while Tabcorp puts its loss between NSW and Victoria at $500 million.

Mr V'landys says he remains apprehensive.

"It's been a very dark time in New South Wales and we're just hoping everything goes to plan and we don't call the meeting off at the last minute like we have the last three," he said.

"I'll be happy about 6:00pm on Saturday evening when it's all over."

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Time for new beginnings

David Payne has seen EI up close before and is taking a softly-softly approach, writes Craig Young.

David Payne is no prophet. Just a racehorse trainer reliving the horror associated with a hideous virus known as equine influenza.

In August, when EI first struck Australia, Payne warned race players, the relevant authorities and government bodies that horse racing would be maimed, hobbled like never before.

Any racetrack EI hit would be forced into immediate lockdown. Randwick racecourse, where Payne has stables, was the first struck. Payne's EI tip amounted to at least three months without racing at headquarters.

A quarter of a year is gone in the calendar and racing finally returns to the Sydney metropolitan area this weekend. Randwick plays host to the first Sydney thoroughbred meeting in three months.

Payne recalled a three-month break in South African racing when the bug bit there but is confident the return to competition at headquarters on Saturday will not resemble that which transpired in his home land after EI had been fended off.

"We never had barrier trials [after the break in South Africa] so we used to give the horses easy runs in races," Payne recounted this week with a bit of a chuckle. "We got into a bit of trouble. A few of us, the stewards called us in, 'Hey, boys, we know the horses are sick but you don't have to be so hot [in giving them quiet runs]'."

The five Payne runners down to resume at Randwick at the weekend were part of a big team the former champion South African trainer and one-time jockey sent to barrier trials at Randwick last Friday.

"All mine trialled good the other day," he said. "We've had jump-outs, too, but I reckon barrier trials are best. You've got the colours on, a crowd, commentating, it all adds to it."

Payne has no doubt the virus which struck South Africa was more vicious than the disease which hit Australia.

"In South Africa every horse had a snotty nose, they coughed for weeks and weeks and weeks," he said. "Here we had the cough but some got it very mildly.

"It was a different strain here, some here got it more severely than others, some hardly turned a hair, some got a temperature spike a couple of times but not that high."

Varying degrees of sickness doesn't mean it has been any easier with which to deal.

"You have to start from scratch again with the horses," Payne said. "It takes a couple of months to get them up and running again.

"Horses have trialled. Some you can get away with one trial, some need two.

"You've got to let them show you how they are coping. They've all come back in good. The ones that I put back into work that coughed again were put straight back out.

"The ones that were clean-winded kept working."

Payne said the horses seemed to be over the virus but were turned back out for a spell.

"They were telling us they were not ready so we put them out," he added. "The first time [back in work] they were given a trot, a canter, and [if] they coughed, we knew they had a problem."

The South African experience has Payne believing the vast majority of thoroughbreds will return to peak form despite encountering the debilitating disease.

"I'd say 98 per cent of my horses in South Africa came back as good as new," he said. "You might have had the odd one that didn't come back. I had about 60 horses in training when it hit me and I'd say 58 turned out as good as before, they carried on. There was no after-effects."

In Australian racing's time of greatest heartbreak Payne has supplied plenty of advice. Fellow trainers from all over NSW and into Queensland have called for a bit of EI guidance.

"It was a pleasure to give a little advice," Payne said. "You just pass on what you know to your mates. We'd been through it before, we know what drugs to use ... penicillin, things like that."

And a financial burden has been once again carried by the racehorse trainers.

Payne feels "sorry for the poor owners", though, because "they've had to bear the cost of everything when you come to think of it". "Their horses were locked in," he said. "They were being charged the same amount in training fees ... you've still got to feed the buggers, exercise them.

"The government assistance did help them a bit ..."

Payne was proud to have been able to keep all his 13 full-time employees in jobs but the trainer warned loss of vital industry regulars was yet to be felt.

"I know a couple of stables cut their staff down," he said. "They had to but after a couple of months it is hard to replace good people. If you lose them, once they go out of the game, get jobs elsewhere, they may not come back. That's why I kept my staff on, good people are hard to find.

"I trained for the 30 years in South Africa and most of my staff were with me for 18 to 20 years and I've had more staff in the six years I've been in Australia than I had in 30 years back home."

Payne points to fellow Randwick trainer Pat Webster, who employed a work rider named Tim Bone. "I would say he was the best rider at Randwick but he has moved on," Payne said. "He is not coming back. He was an asset to any stable but the flu has struck him out. That is a worry."

Fairfax Digital

Flu cost racing $500m in turnover

THE horse flu epidemic will cost the racing industry more than $500 million in TAB betting turnover.

Sydney racing's long-awaited return at Randwick has boosted industry spirits at a time when the full financial toll of equine influenza is only just being realised.

Since NSW racing was virtually shut down by equine influenza in late August, a Tabcorp betting analysis has revealed:
NSW TAB turnover is down $227million or 17 per cent;
VICTORIAN TAB turnover has fallen $77.3million or 7 per cent; and
COMBINED NSW and Victorian TAB turnover losses have reached $304.3million or 12 per cent.

Tabcorp chief executive Elmer Funke Kupper said the "bleeding won't stop just yet" despite metropolitan returning in Sydney and Brisbane tomorrow.

"By the time racing is back to normal, hopefully early 2008, the loss in turnover will grow to approximately $550 million," Funke Kupper said.

The EI outbreak has caused NSW to abandon 193 race meetings since August 25 - 30 on the metropolitan area, 31 at provincial tracksand 132 in country centres - which precipitated the betting downturn.

Sydney racing's comeback at Randwick is expect to attract a bumper crowd of more than 30,000 through the gates.

The raceday features a high-profile clash of world-class sprinter Takeover Target and 2004 Golden Slipper winner Dance Hero in the $100,000 Arrowfield Stud Sprint.

Tabcorp is planning a massive promotional drive over the summer months designed to entice punters back to the racetracks beginning with its $100,000 Pick 6 promotion at Randwick tomorrow, which is available for any racegoer that correctly selects the winners of races three to eight.

"We need to get people back on track," Tabcorp's wagering supremo Robert Nason explained.

"Our on-course turnover has really suffered during EI in Sydney - it has been a big part of our downturn in turnover.

"Tabcorp has major promotions planned over the next few weeks including the Pick 6 promotion for Randwick.

"At Rosehill next Saturday, we are preparing to give the first 2000 people through the gates a $10 TAB betting voucher."

Nason also indicated Tabcorp will announce the introduction of two new bet types next month -- the Duet and Running Double.

The Duet requires punters to pick the first two or three over the line in any race while the Running Double requires a successful bettor to pick winners of successive races.

Racing NSW chief executive Peter V'Landys said the TAB betting turnover downturn won't necessarily cause race club prizemoney to fall next year.

"Although TAB turnover is down, fortunately the Federal Government has provided the racing industry with an excellent financial assistance package which amounted to over $200 million to both NSW and Queensland," V'Landys said

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Jockeys hungry to race again

MAN cannot live on bread alone but plenty of hungry jockeys will be pushing the boundaries this week.

Riders will be sweating, starving and drinking as little as possible as they battle to get back to riding weight for the resumption of Brisbane racing on Saturday.

Many of the riders set to return at Doomben have not ridden since the last metropolitan meeting at Eagle Farm on September 22.

With EI virus shutting down Brisbane, Ipswich, Gold and Sunshine Coast racing for almost three months, some hoops chose to ride at meetings up north or in the west, but many took the opportunity to put their feet up.

Shane Scriven and Dan Griffin welcomed the break from race riding, but are paying for it now as they work to strip off weight.

Scriven, a heavyweight rider, resumed riding trackwork a week ago. At 70kg, his mounts knew he was aboard. His weight has since dropped to 64kg.

"The first 6kg is always the easiest," Scriven said. "That's not bad, but it's the next lot that will be the toughest. I would like to hope I could continue to lose a kilo a day."

Scriven hopes to be light enough to maintain his association with smart sprinter Mitanni in the Doomben Quality. There is not likely to be many other mounts available around his target of 60kg.

"I'll know on Tuesday whether I'm going to be a jockey on Saturday," he said.

"I'd love to ride the old horse (Mitanni). The owners have been loyal, but I have to wait for the weights to come out."

Griffin, last season's premier rider on the Gold Coast, will have a couple of rides at Murwillumbah tomorrow.

In just over a week, he has dropped from 62kg to about 57kg and hopes to ride at 55kg at Saturday's Gold Coast meeting.

Like Scriven, Griffin avoids red meat and his only meal of the day is dinner.

"I didn't do a lot during the break," Griffin said. "In a way it was good because constant dieting takes a toll and it is good for the body to have a rest.

"I enjoyed a bit of food for a change. After eating like a normal person, getting over the temptation to eat has been hard, but my stomach is shrinking now so the cravings are slowly going.

"Getting back to race fitness will probably take a few weeks. I've been riding barrier trials, but there is nothing like race riding to get you fit."

Queensland Racing chairman of stewards Reid Sanders said overweight riders would not receive any leeway and face normal penalties (usually a fine) for being overweight.

"Jockeys had the opportunity to ride at other meetings, which would have helped maintain their weight, so they won't be receiving leniency for infringements," Sanders said.

"Some (trackwork riders) unfortunately left the industry because of the EI crisis. Jockeys were well compensated . . . so now it's time to get out there and repay the industry by riding trackwork and barrier trials.

"That's an ideal way for them to get fit and reduce their weight"

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Green light for showjumping return

The Border Watch

More horseracing in regions

Non-TAB horseracing will return to some regional centres this weekend, after being suspended so support for TAB races was strengthened in light of the equine influenza outbreak.

Race meetings will be held this Saturday in the green zone in Longreach and Emerald and in the red zone in Gympie for the first time since horse flu was discovered in August.

Chief operations manager Malcolm Tuttle says there will be biosecurity measures in place at the events.

"We think that it's essential that we maintain high levels of biosecurity, particularly at a time in south-east Queensland where we're freeing up the movement of horses and people in the industry - we need to be very careful - the last thing we would want to do would be to find the virus spreads any more quickly," he said.

ABC NEWS Read more...

Sold to NSW from QLD

Received 8 or 9 calls, sold from QLD Red zone to NSW Green zone. Just waiting on a permit to go to new owners. (October Issue Horse Deals).

Resuming Competitions in 2008

I have just read on the AREA forum that the current idea being thrown around when competiton resumes in 2008 in endurance at least, is that horses that are EI immune via vaccine or having recovered from Ei will be able to compete, as horses need to travel between and thru different zones, as well as compete against horses from different zones. For those of us who are in green or amber zones, we won't be able to compete unless we have EI immunity; this would be only via vaccine, which we will have to pay for. I hope that 'the powers that be' don't take this path, as many people will be unfairly disadvantaged in endurance. Owners who have more than one competition horse with log books would be forced to either pay for mulitple vaccinations or choose which horses to compete with. This could in turn lead to an influx of excess horses up for sale at lower prices, (supply and demand). Will other equestrian sport bodies go the same way when they resume competition in 08? Senario; parents have 3 kids at pony club, can only afford to vaccinate 1 pony. I truely hope not.

Prehaps the vaccine could be offered to ALL horse owners at a reduced rate. The Govt' could subsidise the vets so there was a lower call out fee. It should not matter whether you have a retired grass muncher or an olympic champion, or anything in between, registered or not; everyone should have the vaccination option.

I would like to thank Horse Deals for providing this blog site, another great service from a top magazine.

Cheers Rhonda
Albion Park NSW