International Horse Movement Issues

Brian Stewart

Chairman of the IFHA International Movement of Horses Committee (IMHC)

What are we trying to Achieve?

Primarily, the facilitation of the temporary international movement of equine athletes for group and graded races

Promotion of international racing is a key strategic objective

International movement of horses for sporting competition must:

– Be safe, both for the individual horse and the national horse populations

– Cause minimum disruption to training

What are the Constraints we Face?

International horse movement is under the control of national veterinary authorities, not racing authorities.

Countries have a responsibility to protect the health status of the national horse population

Government veterinarians tend to be very risk aversive. Horses are a small (but highly valuable) component of international animal

trade Specialist equine infectious disease expertise is very limited, especially in

developing racing regions Logistic problems, especially the limited number of suitable cargo routes

What can we do?

All protocols for horse movement and the management of International Racing are based on Risk Assessment and Risk Management

It is critical that we build expertise, regulations and transparency within the industry that minimize the risk of infectious disease within racehorse populations and build trust between the industry and government authorities

The power of trust and transparency....but trust and verify!

Develop personal relationships between key players.....OIE, government veterinary authorities and the industry

Provide models of best practice..model health certificates, guidelines for the operation of isolation stables, racing biosecurity guidelines

Education and dissemination of information

Examples of what the IMHC does

Helping Ourselves: the Importance of funding Research and Education

As an example, the Racing Victoria sponsored AHT Equine Influenza Study on the effectiveness of disease testing and vaccination in minimizing quarantine periods and maintaining safety of movement

The racing industry cannot rely on other institutions to provide all the answers to the equine disease management problems......it must be proactive in identifying and supporting projects.

A role for the IMHC in identifying, prioritising projects and then linking industry and with researchers?

Winning Trust: Isolation / Training Facilities

Some form of Quarantine / Isolation is essential and inevitable Racehorses imported temporarily for competition require convenient

access to quality training facilities.......expensive and often constrained by available land area

A very high standard of management expertise is required to ensure the confidence of government authorities

International guidelines for facility design and operations are necessary ....... the design and operation of the Victoria Werribee International Horse Centre provides an excellent model

Development of guidelines and SOP........a role for the IMHC?

Developing Veterinary and Isolation Management Capacity

Expertise in equine infectious disease is limited Experience and expertise in the international movement of elite

equine athletes for competition is limited Quarantine / Isolation facility management expertise is limited Capacity development (training and continuing education) is critical,

especially in developing racing nations Training, continuing education and networking is a role for the IMHC

The Risks to the Individual Horse

Shipping horses for prolonged periods entails an inevitable risk for the health of the horse

Although significant improvements have been made there is still an ongoing need for research and development to reduce these risks further

Harmonization of Medication Policies

Confusion among horsemen caused by inconsistent therapeutic substance control policies has caused numerous adverse medication incidents in International Racing

International harmonization of therapeutic medication control policy is major objective for the IFHA

The FEI High Performance / High Health Status Concept

“It is clear that there is a need to define criteria for healthy high performance horses as a sub-population which reflects the low level of disease risk involved in movement of such horses”

Bernard Vallat

Director General of the OIE

A Great Idea but...........

High performance alone cannot be an adequate criteria for high health status, especially for EI

High Performance / High Health status premises may be achievable For example, complexes such as the HKJC and the STC Stables that commit to high biosecurity standards are registered by an

authority and which are audited regularly may be able attain special status If the concept is to work, racing authorities must deliver a biosecurity

framework that ensures superior biosecurity practices at registered premises

Developing a Biosecurity Framework for High Performance / High Health Status Racehorse Premises

To be discussed at the upcoming IMHC Meeting in December 2013

A major project and the main task to be tackled over the next twelve months

IMHC Priorities

High Performance / High Health Status Concept Education and Network Building within the Industry Building Relationships with the OIE and Government Authorities International Race Isolation Facility Management Equine Infectious Disease Expertise Development Facilitating / Lobbying for Targeted Research, Vaccine Updating /

Diagnostic Testing

Thank You