SOMEWHERE TO VENT AT LAST!!

OK SO THIS ISNT ABOUT ME ITS ABOUT MY GOOD FRIEND WHO WAS LOOKING AFTER ANOTHERS HORSE WHEN THE FLU HIT. SHE HAD THE HORSE IN A BOTTOM PADDOCK WHEN IT STARTED TO FLOOD. BUT THE OWNER OF THE PADDOCKS WOULD NOT LET HER MOVE HER HORSE NOT EVEN JUST UP TO THE NEXT PADDOCK. THE HORSE GOT HOOF ROTAND BECAME LAME SO MY FRIEND DECIDED SHE HAD TO MOVE THE HORSE ANYWAY. AFTER MOVING THE HORSE AND RECEVING A LARGE FINE WHICH SHE PAID SHE THEN RECIEVED ANOTHER FINE FOR NOT TAKING BETTER CARE OF THE HORSE WHICH SHE DOESNT OWN AND WASNT ALOUD TO PUT ELSE WHERE I ASK YOU WOULD YOU DO NOT DO THE SAME THING? YVONNE

Did tonic kill Phar Lap?

NEW tests have been carried out on a hair from Phar Lap's mane in an attempt to determine how the champion horse was poisoned with arsenic.Analysis of the latest tests could shed light on a long-held theory the Australian horse-racing legend may have been accidentally poisoned with an arsenic-laced tonic, known as Fowler's Solution.
Hair from a horse hide preserved in a similar fashion to Phar Lap's also has been tested. It is hoped those tests will provide a better understanding of the effects of arsenic used in preserving Phar Laps' hide.
It was revealed last year scientific tests had proved for the first time Phar Lap died of arsenic poisoning.
The arsenic traces found by Dr Ivan Kempson, of the Australian Synchrotron Research Program and Museum Victoria's Dermot Henry, were consistent with a large, single dose of the poison about 35 hours before Phar Lap died in California on April 5, 1932.
The latest tests were conducted by the same team at a synchrotron outside Chicago where the original tests were undertaken.
The tests provided no evidence of other arsenic ingested by Phar Lap in his last week. It is hoped analysis of the new tests will reveal any sign of repeated arsenic doses that may have been ingested and passed into the structure of Phar Lap's hair through the bloodstream.
Any positive results also will be compared with the chemical signature of arsenic in the first tests.
Tests on samples of hair obtained from a preserved horse hide at a Scottish museum also will be compared to the original test results.
"This data will allow us to compare arsenic levels and determine whether Phar Laps' levels clearly indicate that he ingested arsenic," a museum spokeswoman said.
The behaviour of arsenic in the first hair strands tested was consistent with results from a test on the hair of a pig that had been poisoned with arsenic. But there were some anomalies.
Strong traces of arsenic on the root bulb of Phar Lap's hair and hide had a different chemical form and were also associated with traces of lead.
Dr Kempson said this suggested it was a different arsenic that may have come from lead arsenate used to preserve Phar Lap's hide.
The new tests were conducted using a $20,000 State Government grant.

Queensland Infected Shires

While there is now minimal spread of equine influenza continuing within known infected areas in South East Queensland, the number of infected horses and properties has decreased due to populations of horses recovering.
The following Shires are deemed infected (at 21 December 2007):
Beaudesert Shire
Caboolture Shire
Crows Nest Shire
Gold Coast City Shire
Logan Shire
Toowoomba Shire
Boonah Shire
Cambooya Shire
Esk Shire
Ipswich Shire
Millmerran Shire
Gatton Shire
Brisbane City
Clifton Shire
Warwick Shire
Laidley Shire
Pine Rivers Shire
Pittsworth Shire
Jondaryan Shire

EI in retreat: Christmas gift for thousands of horse owners

21 Dec 2007
The State Government’s campaign to eradicate equine influenza (EI) will take a giant step forward at midnight when the EI free green zone is expanded by a further 8.5 million hectares, Minister for Primary Industries, Ian Macdonald, said today.
"This is a massive step towards stamping this disease out once and for all with more than 84 per cent of NSW part of the green zone," Minister Macdonald said."Lowering the EI infection risk in large areas of the central tablelands, south-west, north and north-west of the State will come into effect at midnight following clearance testing of thousands of horses.
"The EI amber zone will be slashed by 5.6 million hectares and the high risk red zone cut by 3 million hectares.
"Eradicating horse flu from these areas is our single biggest success to date and yet further proof we have this highly contagious virus on the run and close to being under control.
"The EI free green zone now covers more than 84 per cent of NSW, while the medium risk amber zone is confined to under 10 per cent of the State and the high risk red zone has been cut to just 3 per cent.
"From tomorrow, horse owners in the new green zones will be free to move their horses within the zone after obtaining a Travelling Horse Statement for each movement."
Minister Macdonald said successfully containing the EI virus to already infected regions had enabled proof-of-freedom testing to free up lower risk areas of NSW.
"This is another major step in the Government’s plan to progressively downgrade the risk in infected areas as horse flu burns out, lifting movement restrictions, easing disinfection requirements and gradually resuming horse events," he said.
"Maintaining good biosecurity and keeping tight control over horse movements in high risk areas remain vital to keep horse flu contained, and continuing with second round vaccination is crucial to continue to build up horse immunity.
"If everything keeps going to plan, the next step of the recovery phase will be the reintroduction of movement restrictions in the purple zone in January.
"This will enable us to commence surveillance and resolution testing in purple zone.
"But we still have a long way to go before horse flu is eradicated. It will take time for the virus to burn out in already infected areas, even without new outbreaks.
"This will be followed by a lengthy period of surveillance testing and investigation to confirm that EI has been eradicated."
Whole local government areas moved to green zone:
Bathurst Regional
Blayney
Junee
Orange
Upper Lachlan
Yass Valley
Local government areas partly moved to green zone:
Bland
Boorowa
Cabonne
Coolamon
Cootamundra
Cowra
Forbes
Gilgandra
Gwydir
Harden
Inverell
Lithgow
Mid-Western Regional
Moree Plains
Narromine
Parkes
Temora
Walgett
Warren
Warrumbungle
Wellington
Full details on changes to all zone boundaries will be available from 4.00pm today at: www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/equine-influenza
The new NSW EI Protection Plan zoning breakdown is:
84.4% of NSW is Protected Green Zone;
9.5% is Amber;
3% is Red; and
3% is Purple.

Relax EI restrictions, Bart says

BART Cummings is urging an immediate relaxation of interstate horse movement restrictions to ensure the best gallopers can compete at the Sydney autumn carnival next year.
Cummings said his carnival preparations for stable stars such as Wonderful World and Sirmione could be affected unless authorities adopt a more "commonsense" approach to the equine influenza-enforced regulations.
"They have to start relaxing some of these EI protocols," Cummings said.
"Victoria has to open up their borders. If they don't let the horses move between Melbourne and Sydney, it's going to have an impact on the autumn carnivals. All the horses are vaccinated now so what is the problem?
The current measures are ridiculous, they lack common sense."
Although EI stopped most of Cummings' best horses from competing during the spring, the Hall of Fame trainer was still able to make his presence felt in Melbourne with Sirmione and Wonderful World.
Sirmione gave Cummings the 248th Group I win of his career when he took out the Mackinnon Stakes while Wonderful World ran a gallant second behind El Segundo in the W.S. Cox Plate.
Cummings said both horses had to remain in Melbourne as he was not allowed to bring them back into NSW to spell.
"I had to spell them down there after the spring carnival," he said.
"They are coming back into work now and at this stage they are both going to resume in Melbourne during the autumn.
"The obvious race for Sirmione is the Australian Cup, and Wonderful World might go the same way. We will work out some races for him."
Cummings said his Randwick stables were cranking up again after EI.
"We've got a full house just about, which is a good," he said.
"I want to bring some more horses back into work but I've got to find some room for them."
The legendary trainer's promising young stayer Empires Choice, winner of the Queensland Derby earlier this year, is being readied for the Sydney autumn carnival.
"Empires Choice got EI and stayed in the stable but he's well now," Cummings said.
"I'll aim him at races like the Ranvet Stakes and The BMW."

Horse 'flu security relaxed

The biosecurity measures aimed at stopping the spread of equine influenza to Tasmania have been relaxed on race days.
People with licences can now move freely about the race track, but the general public still won't be allowed near the animals.
The State Director of Racing, Tony Murray, says the new protocols have been installed after consultation with the Chief Veterinary Officer.
"What we've put in place is that there will still be red zones on all race courses," he said.
"Those red zones will be for licensed persons only and we're talking about the horse areas, like stabling areas and the parade ring.
"But those people now will be able to go anywhere on the race course."
Mr Murray says new amber zones have been created for horse owners.
"There will be dedicated owners areas on tracks, " he said.
"Where owners, after they've signed a declaration that they haven't been in contact with horses in New South Wales and Queensland in the previous 48 hours, will be able to go to specific owners areas and mingle with the trainers and with the jockeys and with the drivers."

NSW horse flu quarantine 'very, very successful'

More than 84 per cent of New South Wales is now free of equine influenza (EI).
The Green Zone has been expanded to include large areas of the central tablelands, the north, north-west and south-west of the state.
The high-risk red zone has been cut to just 4 per cent of the state.
Horse Industry Council president Barry Smyth says if proper biosecurity measures are maintained, the disease should be under control by the end of January.
"Given the fact that we have a native horse population, that the disease broke out probably in the highest density horse population in Australia, and the fact that it's been able to be contained within a relatively small area of New South Wales and Queensland, it is a clear indication that the measures that have been taken have been very, very successful," he said.