Equine Influenza Guidance on Equestrian Activities
11 February 2019
We are pleased that our clients are taking the current equine influenza outbreak seriously and we are taking many phone calls regarding advice on attending competitions and travelling to other venues. We are hoping to receive a further update from the BHA this evening so far one of the local racing yards has been given the “all clear” with no positive swabs following testing, having attended a racecourses where there had been an “in contact” horse but there are many more awaiting results.
LEV’s advice is that all horses should be kept with the standard biosecurity measures, by this we mean, monitoring your horse’s temperature and checking for any signs of disease. If your horse and any on your yard / in contacts have shown no signs in the preceding 14 days and your horses have been vaccinated for equine influenza in the last 6 months then it is fine to attend events and other horse activities. When attending such activities we would encourage that you limit direct contact with other horses as well as not sharing grazing or water access. Be aware that humans are able to transfer equine influenza by indirect transmission so extra care of keeping your hands clean and avoid contact with other horses and change outer clothing between yards. Horses that are travelling to external venues should be closely monitored on their return.
Equine influenza can be transferred in the environment however basic hygiene can destroy the virus, keep clean and we will win the battle against #EquineInfluenza #StopFluInItsTracks