Do you think that DEFRA should have stopped equine movement too?

R

RunToEarth

Well-Known Member
Joined
30 November 2005
Messages
18,549
Location
Lincs
Visit site
We have, as a team toda decided that travelling the horses to Hickstead this week, the venue being so close to the exclusion zone, would be very foolish.
Now I know that horses cannot catch the disease but they can infact carry it. Though DEFRA and the government were very quick this time to halt all movement, they have kept this only to the animals which contract FMD.
At the height of the summer eventing, showjumping and showing season equines are without a doubt the most travelled of all in summer- its PUK next week where over 2,000 ponies nationwide are stabled at the same venue, would it not have been an idea to halt all animal movement, cloven hooved or non?
Pephaps this time more than any horse should have been stoped travelling as many farms diversified into small herds and livery yards on the side after the last epi of FMD, surely with a majority of horses kept in rural England it would have been a good idea to stop equine movement and put on hold the equestrian calendar- no matter how gutting?
 
No, not at all. I think it would be disastrous.

Like I've said in other posts, where do you stop? Do humans then have to stay in their homes and not allowed to go anywhere? I think common sense should prevail and if horses are going to come into contact or close proximity with cloven hooved livestock at either end then I do think they shouldn't be moved from that location or to that location. However, I have gone from my yard today (equine only) to a comp (equine only) and can't see how me staying at home would have been any different to someone driving down the lane of our yard and on and past the road past the equestrian centre. I am yet to see farmers around here, 2 days on, take any precautions themselves and cows are still being walked along public highways to and from milking. I will follow suit when they decide to take precautions themselves.
 
I personaly think it would have been a good idea to hault equine movement also but I do think it would have caused a HUGE uproar over it. I do not think that even if we have future outbreaks that it will be put into place.
 
I firmly believe that the sooner this is eradicated the better for all of us. If that means I can't take my horses on the road or to shows, then so be it.
 
Including human movement?
smile.gif
 
I am with S_V on this one, I feel that if people can still walk in the countryside and traffic can pass farms then why should horses stay at home.
I went to a dressage competition today and it was very busy and there were no precautions. If farmers are not taking precautions then it makes it very hard for the general public to also take precautions.
 
I say use common sense - I've pointed out before that I am from a farming background and still do relief milking at a nearby farm. However, I cannot see how stopping the movement of horses is going to make any difference in unrestricted zones. I will happily respect the wishes of farmers, etc in my area and wouldn't even contemplate going anywhere with my horse out hacking. But, I just cannot understand how taking my horse out in a trailer to an equestrian (only) centre and having my car and trailer disinfected is any different to me just driving my car to and from work, or to pick up my take away in a village 4 miles away in a minute - passing countless farms. Do I have to stop this as well? I keep saying it - where do you stop? Sorry...I may just be being very, very ignorant or naive or just plain thick.
crazy.gif
crazy.gif
 
Horses can spread the disease as easily as people, or dogs or cats can - if a person comes into contact with the disease they can pick it up on their clothing and then touch a fence, which a bird can then sit on, then fly off to a cattle farm. If you were to ban equine movement, you should also ban dogs, cats, people, cars in the countryside - otherwise it would be pointless!

I can see if you keep your horse on a cattle farm or near cattle in one of the areas then you should consider not hacking etc, but when people say horses can carry the disease, they mean they can pick it up on their hooves, just as people can on their boots, so it would be absurd to ban all equine movement!
 
I thought that equines within the zone had to have a licence or something to move them anyhow?. I don't see it being necessary to ban equine movement all over the UK, but anywhere near affected areas, yes.
 
But how are we any different to a horse? If I drive my car from home to the yard, passing a number of farms I am at more risk of spreading any disease than going the long way round to the yard, putting horse in trailer, and driving to a local equine centre 5 miles away. I can't see how horses are more likely to spread the disease than us humans. I can understand it would reduce traffic movement in rural areas but not by that much considering how our back roads are used as commuter rat runs.
 
so you can go to a show,(equine only) and mix with other horses who are carrying F&M and they pass it to your horse and then you go home passing a few fields on the way and give it to daisy chewing the cud in her field and the next thing you know there is F&M in your area
tongue.gif
wink.gif
 
You miss my point- at this time of the year horses move aound far more than you avergae dogcat/person- the top stuff have been at shows non stop since April/May- they travel some distance and come into contact with a lot of clovens.
S_V I agree with you to a point- how can the rquine industry stop because of this, I am simply saying that if I am at a show with someone stabled on an ifected but undiscovered farm, and then I carry it up here, I am hanging myself.
[ QUOTE ]
Hickstead is 40miles from Giuldford

[/ QUOTE ]
Yes, and we are about 200miles from guildford- so bearing in mind I live in farming England, on a farm stocked with 500dairy- where do you think I am safer?
[ QUOTE ]
If farmers are not taking precautions then it makes it very hard for the general public to also take precautions.

[/ QUOTE ]
You would strugle to find an example of a farmer not making every possible effort to protect his livelyhood during an outbreak...
 
Yes, I think it all equine movement should be stopped for at least 3 weeks (the incubation period), just to reduce the risk of spreading it. The thing is, if movement isn't stopped, and the disease does thread, then it will be enforced that all equine movement will have to be stopped for a lot longer.
Therefore it seems both selfish and not in your best interest to ride /transport your equines off property.
 
No, sorry- quickreply!
I just think the financial side of equine events spurs them to go ahead even though the organisers can see a valid reason not to run them, and if venues are not prepared to refund for FMD, or postpone, they will go ahead regardless and its how things spread- a large number of horses all stabled rurally from every corner of the country.
 
The majority of equine movement goes nowhere near cattle, anyway - I think you would be VERY unlucky to pick up F&M at a show and transport it back to wherever. I think if farmers who have cattle and horses want to limit the movement of the horses on their farm then fair enough. Shows held on or very near cattle farms may reconsider or postpone/cancel, but to say you cant move horses at all would be pointless. I think that is why licences were needed before - so that it could be controlled and horses kept with cattle could be 'grounded'.
 
We have just had a really weird scenario with a local Pony Club - there was a tetrathlon arranged for this weekend and the running phase and the riding phase were scheduled to occur at the same farm.

They cancelled the riding phase but still allowed the run to take place
confused.gif
. I can't see the difference - horses are no more likely to carry the virus than cars, or dogs or people. If you let children in to run around your fields then you have no more idea about what animals they have been in contact with than if you let horses and horseboxes enter
crazy.gif
.
 
I am in the blue zone and we are not allowed to go to the event tomorrow, no horse movement withing the zone and no licence either, I totally understand but also totally gutted
frown.gif
 
I'm not really sure that the average horse moves around more than the average person?

I don't really see the point in stopping horse movement if people are still allowed to wander around the countryside?
confused.gif
 
I'm on the fence about this one. I wouldn't take Chex anywhere just now, because I wouldn't want to be responsible for bringing it to the farm. But on the other hand I don't really see how its different from me going for a drive around the country, picking it up on my tyres and bringing it back to the farm
confused.gif
.
 
[ QUOTE ]
The majority of equine movement goes nowhere near cattle

[/ QUOTE ]
Every coutry show I have competed at or been to runs a cattle section, a horse section and a sheep section, as do a good amount of the local and regional venues. Many of the PC around here livery on farms diversified to small herds and big livery.
 
[ QUOTE ]
We have just had a really weird scenario with a local Pony Club - there was a tetrathlon arranged for this weekend and the running phase and the riding phase were scheduled to occur at the same farm.

They cancelled the riding phase but still allowed the run to take place
confused.gif
. I can't see the difference - horses are no more likely to carry the virus than cars, or dogs or people. If you let children in to run around your fields then you have no more idea about what animals they have been in contact with than if you let horses and horseboxes enter
crazy.gif
.

[/ QUOTE ]How very bizarre !!!!
Why people want to run for miles is beyond me
tongue.gif
 
Yes, I think we should take away as many possibilities of the virus spreading. Yes, I also know that won't guarantee that the virus will be contained but is the best they we can do.

It may seem hard to not take your horses out but on the grander scheme of things, there is a lot more at stake then just your competition careers.
smile.gif
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top