Coughing horse still a mystery

The identity of a coughing horse feared linked to a breakdown in Sydney's quarantine station remains a mystery, despite a call by the horse flu inquiry for the animal's owner to come forward.

The inquiry is trying to establish if a coughing horse at an equestrian event in Maitland, in the New South Wales Hunter Valley, last August is linked to the breakdown.
Competitors who attended have told the inquiry they heard and saw a horse coughing, but could not identify the animal.
That prompted the Commissioner, retired High Court judge Ian Callinan, to call on the owner of the sick horse to come forward.
He acknowledged the person may be afraid and therefore said he would consider allowing them to remain anonymous.
But a month after issuing the plea, the Commissioner's call has gone unanswered.
The inquiry will this week hear from horse transport companies.