Most of you will be aware via the FEI, BHS, sport governing bodies and social media that there has been a serious outbreak of Equine Herpes Virus (EHV-1) neurological form, which has resulted in a number of equine fatalities. The outbreak originated at the CES Valencia Spring Tour in Spain, the first report issued on 22.02.21, and a number of horses which had competed at the venue have subsequently tested positive for EHV-1 at their home stables in various locations across Europe.
In an attempt to contain the spread of the virus, the FEI has announced the cancellation of international events in 10 European countries until the 28.03.21, as well as the blocking of horses in the FEI database until a quarantine period has been completed and subsequent clear tests produced. While the FEI and British Show Jumping have issued protocols and are managing horses returning from the European jumping tours, it is in the interests of equine welfare and good practice for all horse owners to have some understanding of EHV-1 and implement bio-security measures as regular practice, to protect your own horses and others around you. This is particularly essential if your yard has travelled any horses to/ from Europe recently or received any European imports.
With regards to transport we are implementing extra precautions and following extra stringent bio-security measures, ensuring thorough disinfection of horseboxes, and for the time being we will not be offering shared loads unless the horses are from the same premises or under the same management/ ownership. We will not be able to transport any horses which we know or suspect to have any symptoms of EHV. We ask all our customers to be responsible and play their part to prevent further transmission. This means not booking transport for any equines displaying symptoms or which may have come into contact with symptomatic horses. Feel free to contact us to discuss any concerns you may have.
The following information has been provided by the British Equestrian Federation as guidance for horse and yard owners to refer to:
EHV causes four clinical syndromes:
Respiratory
Abortion
Neonatal foal death
Neurological disease
Respiratory Disease: What to look out for
- Fever
- Coughing
- Nasal Discharge
Neurological Disease: What to look out for
- In-coordination of the hind (and occasionally fore) limbs
- Urine retention/ dribbling (can present as mild colic)
- Bladder weakness
- Recumbency (inability to rise)
- Neurological signs may be preceded by fever and respiratory signs.
Disease Transmission:
- Aerosol: most common route. Inhalation of droplets from coughing and snorting. Shedding typically lasts 7 - 10 days but can persist much longer, therefore a 28 day isolation period is recommended following diagnosis.
- Indirect Transmission - Fromites: The virus can be live in the environment for a couple of weeks. Fromites (people/ tack/ equipment) can pass the virus between horses.
Incubation Time:
May be as short as 24 hours, typically 4-6 days but may be longer.
Vital Health Signs:
- Normal temperature of 36.5 - 38.5C
- Normal breathing rate of 8 - 15 breaths/min
- Check there is no eye/ nasal discharge
- Observe the horse is standing normally
- Check for consistency and number of droppings
- Check water and food consumption
- Assess horses general demeanor
Bio-security
Isolate new arrivals for a period of at least 10 days, or introduce horses from properties with a known high health status only. Isolate and pay particular attention to horses from sales/ competition complexes, from unknown mixed population yards and those that have used commercial horse transport servicing mixed populations.
Verify the vaccine status of new arrivals.
Keep records of horse movements so that contacts can be traced in the event of a disease outbreak.
Regularly clean and disinfect stables between in mates and also clean and disinfect equipment and horse transport between journeys. Remember to remove as much organic material as possible before disinfection.
Maintain good perimeter security for your premises and maintain controlled access for vehicles and visitors.
Ensure that everyone understands the hygiene principles and therefore do not pass disease to horses at other premises.
Eliminate the use of communal water sources. Instruct staff not to submerge the hose when filling water buckets.
Horse specific equipment (feed and water buckets, head collars etc) should be clearly marked as belonging to an individual horse and only used on that horse.
Any shared equipment (lead ropes, bits/bridles, chifneys, twitches, thermometers, grooming kits etc) should be cleared of organic debris and disinfected between horses.
Equipment that cannot be properly disinfected (sponges/ brushes) should not be shared between horses.
Cloth items such as stable rubbers, towels, bandages etc should be laundered and thoroughly dried between each use. Disinfectant may have to be used as part of the rinse cycle, eg. Verkon.
Isolate horses at the first sight of sickness until an infectious or contagious disease has been ruled out.
Contact your veterinary surgeon if any of your horses show clinical signs of sickness.
Do not move sick horses except for isolation, veterinary treatment or under veterinary supervision. Attend to sick horses last (ie, feed, water and treat) or use separate staff.
Provide hand washing facilities and hand disinfectant gel for everyone handling groups of horses and provide separate protective clothing and foot ware for those handling and treating sick horses.
The isolation/ quarantine unit should have a changing area for staff so that clothing and foot ware worn in the restricted area are not worn elsewhere.
Barrier clothing, waterproof foot ware and disposable gloves should be used for when working with sick and in-contact horses and after use they should be disposed off or laundered and disinfected.
When using disinfectants, always follow the instructions on the label. Select a DEFRA approved disinfectant and choose from the general order disinfectants that have documented effectiveness in the presence of 10% organic matter, works in the water hardness of the locale and is safe to use in the environment of horses and people.
Stables, mangers and yards should be kept clean, free of standing water and thoroughly scrubbed and cleansed with an appropriate detergent/ disinfectant after use and then allowed to dry.
Take care when using pressure washers, as those set at greater than 120 psi can produce aerosols that spread infectious agents through the air.
Information courtesy of the British Equestrian Federation
We hope this information is useful and we encourage all our customers to be extra vigilant at this worrying time. We all need to do our bit to stop the spread of EVH-1, and our condolences go to all connections of those horses effected by this outbreak.
Keep yourselves and your horses safe!
Claire
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