Moving horses illegally costs man $2,000

A 37-year-old Canberra man caught illegally moving horses under the veil of darkness has been fined $2,000 in Queanbeyan Local Court, NSW Minister for Primary Industries, Ian Macdonald, said today.

“The man used a horse float to illegally move two horses from Murrumbateman in NSW to Victoria on September 28,” Minister Macdonald said.
“Queanbeyan court heard he moved two riding ponies interstate to Victoria via a back route near Bombala.
“The man was fined for contravening an equine influenza control order under the Exotic Disease of Animals Act 1991.
“When the rest of the horse industry was working hard to stop the spread of EI this man was undermining their effort and the whole eradication campaign.”
Minister Macdonald said if the horses were infected with the flu, the illegal movement could have potentially spread EI into new parts of NSW and also Victoria, which is free from horse flu.
“This is a timely reminder that that there is no room for complacency when it comes to this contagious disease,” he said.
“The NSW DPI continues to work closely with NSW Police Force Rural Crime Investigation Unit to monitor compliance of existing regulations on horse movements.”
Meanwhile, a matter involving a 47-year-old man who allegedly moved a horse illegally during the EI horse standstill, imposed by the NSW DPI, is due to be heard at Boggabilla, NSW, Local Court on Thursday. SOURCE: The Land, NSW, December 6.

Vets Didn't Suspect EI At Eastern Creek

Retired High Court judge Ian Callinan's on-going inquiry into how Equine Influenza entered Australia has heard veterinarians attending horses at Sydney's Eastern Creek Quarantine Station had no experience with equine influenza & did not suspect it was present when several horses initially exhibited symptoms. Randwick Equine Centre's Dr Greg Nash (who attended the Darley shuttle stallions) said high temperatures & nasal discharge did not immediately alert him to EI because it had never previously been seen in Australia. And because imported horses have been vaccinated against the disease overseas & have also been in quarantine for 2-3 weeks before they arrive in Australia, he assumed "it would have been apparent in pre-export quarantine facilities". Both Dr Nash & fellow Randwick Equine Centre vet Dr Joe Bruyn confirmed they had not showered when leaving Eastern Creek in recent years due to the poor facilities & lack of enforcement of the rule to do so by the Australian Quarantine & Inspection Service. (Dec 6)

Australian racing 'a laughing stock'

LEADING NSW provincial trainer Brett Cavanough has blown the lid on inconsistencies with equine influenza protocols being observed from racecourse to racecourse, saying they are making Australia a laughing stock.
Cavanough went to three race meetings in the past four days - Wagga Wagga on Friday, Albury on Saturday and Canberra on Sunday - and he was dumbfounded by the breaches of protocols that took place.
Despite this, the Albury trainer believes authorities have gone over the top with the measures demanded of people in the thoroughbred industry and that the time has come to relax them.
"What blew me out of the water completely was we went to Canberra yesterday, where they have very strict rules," Cavanough said.
"Canberra threw the gate wide open yesterday and they're in the national capital. Maybe we've got to start asking some questions.
"Owners were allowed into the stalls area where the horses are. They were allowed to pat their horses and touch their horses.
"Sydney jockeys weren't allowed to ride at Randwick (on Saturday) and come back to Canberra. But there were quite a few people who went to both places.
"They can go to the races in Sydney, see their horses at the stables after the races, then go to Canberra and step into a foot bath and wash their hands and see their other horses. What's the difference?"
Cavanough said another venue he went to left an entry point open that provided punters with access to an exclusion zone. And nothing was done to stop them.
"One race meeting I went to, the back gate was open and people were wandering straight through," Cavanough said.
"There was no foot bath or hand wash. They were just walking through the horse area to the public enclosure."
Cavanough received a list of protocols by fax from the Racing NSW stewards pertaining to racing this in Sydney, at Rosehill. He believes that the demands placed on trainers with runners at the meeting are too demanding, if not unrealistic.
"If I race horses at Sydney on Saturday, and this goes for anyone in the country, they go to Canterbury for seven days with only the one person in contact," Cavanough said.
"When they leave there they have to come home to a facility 100m from any other horse. You have to have one person who hasn't had any contact with horses for seven days to touch them. It's got to have dog-proof fences around it and a supervised vet. You've got to have a three-minute shower ... shower on the way in, shower on the way out.
"You need somebody with a stopwatch outside to time you.
"It's just unbelievable, some of the crap they're going on with."
Cavanough said that he was in a green zone but he had come in contact with people from purple zones at race meetings, highlighting the deficiencies in the protocols outlined by the Department of Primary Industry.
"I just question the DPI's protocols. I think it's getting to the stage where they've just got to throw the gates open," Cavanough said.
"We're the laughing stock of the world at the moment.
"And the three different places that I have been to in the last three days, there was just no comparison in the protocols."

Horse shows canned in NSW

Horse movements in New South Wales continue to be restricted, as authorities continue efforts to eradicate horse flu.
Summer horse shows have been called off, to try to restrict the spread of the virus.
June Tarlinton from the Cobargo Show Society in the state's south-east says that event will go ahead, but without more than 200 horse events.
"You had to keep horses away from the general public, and had to bath and shower people from the general public," she says.
"You had to feed them (the horses) in a different location and you had to do a rectal thermometer.

Horse owners face financial crisis

Equine businesses in Queensland are facing major financial woes, as a result of the horse flu outbreak.The State Government is urging business operators to take advantage of the federal and state financial help that's available.
Jane Mayers from the Department of Primary Industries says up to $15,000 is available, but many have delayed applying.
"They are doing it very tough," she says.
"It varies quite a bit.
"Some of them are reported to have their sales down by 80 to 90 per cent.
"Some of them are considering closing, because they carry a lot of stock, and once EI broke out, people just stopped going into the stores.
"And then also, on top of that, they've had to cope with their own horses being sick."

Crunch Time for Australian Equestrian

The next two weeks might be the most crucial period in the 2008 Olympic Equestrian campaign. During this time, the EFA High Performance Program will make the difficult decision whether to send prospective team members overseas for the six months prior to the Olympic Games to finalise Olympic preparation and qualification or whether to keep them in Australia. The answer will depend mainly on whether already overdue biosecurity protocols will enable the movement of horses and the holding of events in the first half of next year.
A decision to move overseas would put further pressure on Australia-based riders, whose businesses and families have already been hard hit by the EI crisis since August. Sadly, it would also reduce the pool of horses and riders from which a team can be selected.
“Sending our prospective team overseas to Europe, where Eventing would be based in England and the Jumping and Dressage Teams in Germany, will cost the program in excess of $2 million. This leaves us with a short fall of around $1.5 million from our previous budgeted figure for the program in Australia” said High Performance and Olympic Equestrian Team Manager, Brett Mace.
The High Performance Program has been supporting local riders to stay in Australia as long as possible to prepare and qualify for the Olympic Games. This is now looking less likely due to the uncertainty and the expected severity of the restrictions that may be imposed on riders and event organisers by government authorities.
“What we need from the Government are clear guidelines (which are still to be announced) for horse movements and on how to conduct events. The guidelines must be safe, of course, but must also be practicable for riders and event organisers”, said Mace.
The Equestrian High Performance Program has been in limbo since the outbreak of EI, which forced the cancellation of all International and National Equestrian events in Australia at least until early next year. The outbreak has severely restricted training and qualification opportunities for many of the leading contenders for the Olympic Games.
“The time has now come for us to give our riders a definite decision on what they will be required to do, so they can get on with preparing for the Olympic Games” said National Equestrian Head Coach Wayne Roycroft. “We gave assurances to our riders that we would make our decision at this time. We have a gold medal at risk here and we cannot compromise our preparations any longer just waiting for others to make a decision.”
A series of meetings will take place over the next two weeks. The final decision is expected to be made on 19 December.

Victorian Southern Circuit

The Yarra Valley Quarter Horse Association along with the Vcitorian Quarter Horse Association, Gippsland Regional Appaloosa Club and Peninsular Quarter Horse Association are please to announce the Victorian Southern Circuit. This will include the Vcitorian Quarter Horse state championships and will be held at Tonimbuk.

4th - 6th January
8th & 9th January
11th - 13th January

All inquiries to Trish Wettenhall on 0418 567 180 or triandibo@bigpond.com

Sold within the first week

Sold within Victoria, have received
at least 10 calls and still receiving
calls, happy with the response from
the ad.
(December Horse Deals)




**Click to enlarge pic**

Support businesses affected by horse flu this Christmas

With Christmas just a couple of weeks away, spare a thought for businesses that rely on the horse industries that have been doing it tough because of horse flu.
These include saddlery shops, produce merchants, equine service providers such as farriers, equine dentists and veterinarians, and transport companies.
Equine influenza Horse Industry Liaison Officer Jane Myers encouraged horse owners and the general public to show their support this Christmas.
“Many of these struggling businesses would really benefit if shoppers purchased gifts, gift vouchers or even pre-paid vouchers for services that can be used once movement restrictions are lifted,” she said.
"While the horse industries are on the way to recovery from horse flu, some of the businesses that support these horse industries may not unless their trade picks up soon.”
The seven regionally-based Horse Industry Liaison Officers (ILOs) are working in conjunction with the Department of Primary Industry and Fisheries (DPI&F), the Queensland Performance and Pleasure Horse Industry Group and the Department of Communities, to assist all sectors of the horse industry that are suffering hardship as a result of horse flu.
The ILOs are running a series of workshops in areas in the South East Queensland Red Zone to make horse-related businesses more aware of the grants and other financial assistance packages that the State and Federal governments are offering.
Jane said while government assistance was very important, the best solution was to get more customers through the doors.
"If every horse owner and a handful of other local residents purchased just one Christmas gift from say a saddlery shop or some supplies for their pet dog from a produce store this year, the cash flow generated may help many businesses survive the horse flu crisis,” she said.
"There really is light is at the end of the tunnel with some easing of movement restrictions in Queensland taking effect on Friday, 7 December.
“In the meantime, we're asking Queenslanders to show their community spirit by helping fellow Queenslanders who are facing an uncertain Christmas.”
More information on equine influenza and contact details for all Horse Industry Liaison Officers are available on the DPI&F website www.dpi.qld.gov.au

Media Release - Barastoc Horse of the Year Commmitee

BARASTOC 2008
Due to the huge number of entries being received for the 2008 Barastoc Horse of the Year the committee has extended the deadline for entries to close of business Friday 7th December. This applies to the EFA office and through the Nominate online system.
Schedules are online at www.Barastocshow.com or available from the EFA office on 03 9974 0511. Entries can be completed on line through Nominate.
APSB SECTION
Entries for this section don't close until Friday 7th December 2007. Although the Barastoc Committee is running the section the APSB are collecting the entries on our behalf. Any queries regarding the show and these classes please direct your questions to Kate Jewell . kjewell@unite.com.au or 0439 001 384
SCHOOLS SHOWJUMPING
Please note we are still taking entries for this section and haven't yet received the entry quota. Please do your entries as soon as possible to avoid missing the chance to compete in these great classes
INTERNATIONAL CHALLENGE
Dinner tickets and tables for this event are selling quickly. We will soon be fully booked and unable to take any further bookings. No general viewing area available on the night. To secure tickets and or a table to this fun filled evening please contact Debby Cheeseman – Ticket Sales Manager 03 5962 3712 or email maranupark@iprimus.com.au
NFPAA – MOUNTAIN AND MOORLAND SHOW
Entries are still available for this section and enquiries should be made direct to nfpony@bigpond.net.au or Jaccy Kennedy 03 58243823.
They also advise us they have a wonderful new Mare & Foal class added to the program with great new sponsorship and prize money.

Additional Programs & Shows at Barastoc
Remember entry for the following sections are still available.
Palomino, Miniature Pony, Pinto, Standardbred, Mountain and Moorland, Stock horses, Hunting

VACCINATION Report QPPHI

Liz Buchanan, Wednesday, 5 December 2007

Tuesday afternoon Peter Toft & I had the eye opening experience of being taken through the Vaccination Control centre at Oxley. The process involved in getting our (QPPHI) application forms processed is quiet amazing and the efforts of Lloyd Reeve-Johnson (Vaccination Programme Manager) and his team is awesome, however there is a couple of things we need to understand.

At the time our vaccinations were approved on October 29th the whole process of processing the application form was manual. This process was both pain staking and painful. So for the first 15 to 20 days they processed every application manually if you can imagine around 10,000 applications came through in this time. Now we have a semi automated system this allows for a much faster process.

Read more.

Equine flu has Hussler's connections sick with worry

Asked about the prospects of Weekend Hussler coming to Sydney next year, McDonald said discussions were taking place.

"The only problem is EI," he said. "Do we take the chance, send him up there and something happens and you can't get back?

"It [equine flu] is a real worry. You are putting a lot of faith in the vaccine. Our horses haven't been exposed to EI in Victoria. They say vaccination cuts down the risk, but horses can still carry the virus.

"Do we want to be taking any chances? That's the biggest worry."

McDonald said the Australian Guineas, 1600 metres, at Flemington on March 8 might come too quickly for Weekend Hussler, with the $1 million Golden Rose, schedule for Rosehill on March 15, a better option.

"You could go into it over 1400m second up, without a lot of racing," he said. "But we must weigh it up. Is it worth putting him under stress, duress, with a chance of catching EI?

"What happens if he gets stuck up there? What happens to our spring carnival? That is what we really want to concentrate on."

The uncertainty surrounding equine flu has McDonald thinking the disease is going to affect racing for the next nine months at least.

"How long does the vaccine last for?" he asked. "Do you have to keep giving it every year? Is it still strong after eight months or is it starting to weaken?
"There are a lot of questions to be answered.

"Eventually, trainers will have to take a punt - let's go and see what happens, but with a horse like Weekend Hussler, I know Roscoe and I are really thinking do we want to take a chance?

"You'd love to be in Sydney for the autumn carnival, it is second to the spring carnival in Melbourne, but at the end of the day we've got to weigh it all up.

"He is a horse we want for a long time, not a short time."

Read more.

EI Vaccinations for WHICH horses?

We live in SE Qld in the red zone.

With 10 horses on our property, consisting of miniatures (including mares in foal and a stallion), a TB gelding and a stock horse cross mare we have not been able to obtain vaccinations, despite representatives from the DPI telling us it would not be a problem if we applied, in fact we can’t even get a return call from a vet listed on the DPI site.

Luckily to date we have kept our horses and property EI free as far as we are aware, although now that the racing industry is moving horses and equipment freely it may only be a waiting game..

Our property has been registered with the DPI, yet we have not received any support and even the updates have simply stopped coming via email
Looking through ads on the Petlink site and talking to other owners it seems that many others have been able to obtain the vaccinations, and I am not talking about TB’s or horses in the so called “buffer” zones, these include unregistered pony mares and geldings, among a few. And to top it off I am aware that many of these were “free” vaccinations.

I’m just wondering what makes these horses have been given special consideration, or it simply the old adage of “It’s not what you know, but who….”?

Like many of your readers I am sure I am just one of many people disgruntled by the handling of EI situation by the DPI and related government bodies.

Thank you for taking the time to read my email.