Hunting and Equine flu

If you look at worst case scenarios for each option I would prefer a total lockdown on equine movement for a couple of weeks that turns out to have been unnecessary than a widespread outbreak of a new flu strain... but maybe that's just me. There's only two roads into my county... Maybe I should go for the barricade option?
 
angrybird1 said:
I really dont get the attitude of some people.
Surely it makes more sense to be cautious. Better to have a couple of weeks of inconvience now than risk a major outbreak. So what if it's overkill.
It's better than the alternative.
Click to expand...

The trouble is, where do you draw the line? There is ALWAYS a risk of infection when you take horses out and about. I am involved with a local hunt and they took veterinary advice on whether they should cancel this weekend's meet and the advice they were given by a top vet was that there was absolutely no reason why they should cancel. (This is in an area where there have been no confirmed cases). As it happened the meet was cancelled anyway, mainly due to ground conditions. But you can see the dilemma people face when the professional advice coming from both vets and the AHT that there is no need to cancel equestrian events.
 
TGM said:
The trouble is, where do you draw the line? There is ALWAYS a risk of infection when you take horses out and about. I am involved with a local hunt and they took veterinary advice on whether they should cancel this weekend's meet and the advice they were given by a top vet was that there was absolutely no reason why they should cancel. (This is in an area where there have been no confirmed cases). As it happened the meet was cancelled anyway, mainly due to ground conditions. But you can see the dilemma people face when the professional advice coming from both vets and the AHT that there is no need to cancel equestrian events.
Click to expand...

Most places around here - no cases reported as yet - have gone for the 'only bring your horse if it is vaccinated in the last 6 months and make sure you have its passport with you'. A few friends were grounded this weekend because their boosters were over 6 months, but people are being pretty pragmatic at the moment. Probably helps that its February and we're just recovering from a week of snow.

Irrelevant for me as the walking vet's bill isn't going anywhere. Plus I'm pretty sure if she caught flu it would mutate into some really nasty form and bring down all equine activities for months :rolleyes::rolleyes:
 
Can I ask a question - though I guess it's a 'how longs a piece of string' type answer.

How long does the virus stay viable outside of a host? Is it hours, days, weeks? Thinking here of horse-sneeze droplets on a road or hedge.
 
thank you ester

Just been chewing the fat with some hacking buddies from a different yard - it's quite odd to be thinking of co-ordinating hacking to NOT meet up (and to avoid neighbours with oldies and broodies)........
 
I just don’t get the hysteria within the leisure horse community. There are professional eventers posting on social media at hunt meets, with horses worth a small fortune. Do we really think they would be “risking” their horses and livelihoods in such a way if it was all so bad...?
 
I was quite shocked today when someone at the stables who cossets her horse with all sorts of massages and treatments was talking about having to get it vaccinated in order to go to a camp this summer and admitted it wasn't even covered for tetanus because someone had told her it didn't need any vaccinations as she didn't compete.
 
angrybird1 said:
I really dont get the attitude of some people.
Surely it makes more sense to be cautious. Better to have a couple of weeks of inconvience now than risk a major outbreak. So what if it's overkill.
It's better than the alternative.
Click to expand...

Well that's the whole point of my posts really. Everyone seem to believe they occupy that sensible middle ground between overly cautious and overly risky. And then demands that everyone agrees with them and condemns people who don't. Well I also believe I occupy that middle ground - as I am sure do the vets whose advice I am following. They doubtless believe that the advice they are giving is proportionate and sensible.

Ester, people out and about are following vets advice. Not just any old vet but the vets who are tasked with advising the equine community specifically on this flu outbreak right now. I suspect they know a little bit about virology.
 
ester said:
Sorry that’s what’s I was saying?
Click to expand...

Sorry if I misunderstood you. I thought you were suggesting the eventers were only out as a result of ignorance of virology and therefore of risk? I was saying they may not understand the science but they are accepting guidance from people who definitely do.
 
Ambers Echo said:
Well that's the whole point of my posts really. Everyone seem to believe they occupy that sensible middle ground between overly cautious and overly risky. And then demands that everyone agrees with them and condemns people who don't. Well I also believe I occupy that middle ground - as I am sure do the vets whose advice I am following. They doubtless believe that the advice they are giving is proportionate and sensible.

Ester, people out and about are following vets advice. Not just any old vet but the vets who are tasked with advising the equine community specifically on this flu outbreak right now. I suspect they know a little bit about virology.
Click to expand...


ester said:
I wouldn’t expect professional eventers to have a background in virology so they are making those decisions based on others advice not in their own.
Click to expand...

Not suggesting they would- but they will be taking advice from their vets... who seem to be comfortable with the idea of them continueing business as usual. 🤷‍♀️
 
Ambers Echo said:
Sorry if I misunderstood you. I thought you were suggesting the eventers were only out as a result of ignorance of virology and therefore of risk? I was saying they may not understand the science but they are accepting guidance from people who definitely do.
Click to expand...

Nope I was saying it wasn’t them making the decisions, they were taking advice from SQP.

Some vets are happy with continuing as usual, others in affected areas have advised shutdown and no hacking

Others have put a mass invite out for horses to be vaccinated at practice.
 
There are vets, and there are vets...

I come from a family packed full with doctors. They frequently disagree on things medical .

I absolutely stand by my ground that I would err on the side of caution until the situation becomes clearer, which it may well do in a week or so. So what to a day's hunting or a competition lost. Incidentally, I haven't been reading newspaper (or other) scare stories, I am making up my own mind, after considering many points of view, I am no one's puppet.
 
ester said:
One of the somerset centres was still going to be running quoting that they were following BEF guidelines. Frankly that was a bit daft and they did at least change their minds once this was pointed out to them :p.
I think one of the hunts was going out but also changed their minds in the end.

The trouble is the pros/experts can’t really win. If it simmers down quickly it will have been an over reaction, if it escalated they won’t have done enough.

It’s amazing how quickly I become a much more popular friend though! 😂
Click to expand...

I may be being thick, but BEF has issued those guidelines...

https://www.bef.co.uk/News-Detail.a...0r_KgNM7LQ4wbInTz7nexE2woQjPRWz4ZayUfjcBpjFpY

BEF Advice After Equine Flu Outbreak
Your location: news > bef advice after equine flu outbreak
07.02.19
Following British Horseracing’s decision to cancel all racing today (7 February) the British Equestrian Federation (BEF) is closely monitoring the situation. Veterinary experts have advised that it is not necessary to cancel other equine events at this time, but we will issue a further update once the full extent of the outbreak is known.
In the meantime, we recommend that all owners follow the guidelines below as a precaution and ensure that all vaccinations are fully up to date. If your horse is currently vaccinated, we recommend a booster if it has been longer than 6 months since your horse’s last vaccination.
Actions for owners to take:
It is crucial for all horse and pony owners to be vigilant and follow recommended guidelines on how to detect and prevent the spread of this infectious disease.
Look out for signs of disease which can include high temperature, cough, snotty nose, enlarged glands (under the lower jaw), swollen or sore eyes, depression, loss of appetite and swelling in the lower legs.
If you see any of these signs, isolate the horse and call your vet immediately.
It is essential that any horses showing signs of possible equine flu, or horses that might have been in contact with possibly infected horses, do not travel to competitions or other events where there will be groups of horses. If your horse has been in contact with an infected horse we suggest that you should take immediate veterinary advice.
If your horse is currently vaccinated, but it has been longer than 6 months since the last vaccination, we recommend that you discuss a booster that is effective against this strain of flu with your vet.
The BEF also has guidance on its website regarding equine infectious diseases and is urging owners to take the necessary precautions to avoid their horses becoming infected.
 
I’m sure there are plenty out there who have, but certainly all the professional riders I follow on social media are all still out competing/training/hunting etc.

Why are they seemingly ok with it but not leisure riders?


Tiddlypom said:
There are vets, and there are vets...

I come from a family packed full with doctors. They frequently disagree on things medical .

I absolutely stand by my ground that I would err on the side of caution until the situation becomes clearer, which it may well do in a week or so. So what to a day's hunting or a competition lost. Incidentally, I haven't been reading newspaper (or other) scare stories, I am making up my own mind, after considering many points of view, I am no one's puppet.
Click to expand...
 
Michen said:
I’m sure there are plenty out there who have, but certainly all the professional riders I follow on social media are all still out competing/training/hunting etc.

Why are they seemingly ok with it but not leisure riders?
Click to expand...

Because it's their livelihood? The same can be said for the racing industry of course, although I think racehorses move about more frequently.

For me I'll be erring on the side of caution, a little bit of short term pain is far preferable to the potential calamity of a full blown equine 'flu outbreak.
 
Michen said:
all the professional riders I follow on social media are all still out competing/training/hunting etc
Click to expand...

There seems to me to be a disconnect between what is actually going on out in the real world, which is largely Business As Usual and the mood of social media. The virtual world seems overwhelmingly pro much tighter restrictions on horse movements. But out in real life, there were very few withdrawals at NSEA and there was a full turnout at pony club today. And my FB feed and insta account are as full of people out having adventures as it usually is. Given that the official advice is that it is 'not necessary' to cancel events, that does not at all surprise me. I can't see why still being out is controversial really. I can see why people may choose not to be but I can't fathom the inability to see that following the published advice is a reasonable choice even if it is not the one you would choose.

I am not trying to tell anyone they are over-reacting and should crack on. But plenty of people are telling those who are following advice that they are under-reacting.
 
Cortez said:
Because it's their livelihood? The same can be said for the racing industry of course, although I think racehorses move about more frequently.

For me I'll be erring on the side of caution, a little bit of short term pain is far preferable to the potential calamity of a full blown equine 'flu outbreak.
Click to expand...

But then wouldn’t they be even more concerned, as for one of their horses to pick up flu could be disasterous in terms of income etc?
 
Ambers Echo said:
There seems to me to be a disconnect between what is actually going on out in the real world, which is largely Business As Usual and the mood of social media. The virtual world seems overwhelmingly pro much tighter restrictions on horse movements. But out in real life, there were very few withdrawals at NSEA and there was a full turnout at pony club today. And my FB feed and insta account are as full of people out having adventures as it usually is. Given that the official advice is that it is 'not necessary' to cancel events, that does not at all surprise me. I can't see why still being out is controversial really. I can see why people may choose not to be but I can't fathom the inability to see that following the published advice is a reasonable choice even if it is not the one you would choose.

I am not trying to tell anyone they are over-reacting and should crack on. But plenty of people are telling those who are following advice that they are under-reacting.
Click to expand...


Completely agree with all of this post. Well said!
 
I'm pleased to see it is being taken seriously by most in the horse world, a bit of short term pain is definitely preferable!
My horses haven't left the yard in years (except for the odd hack) however quite a few fellow liveries do compete.
YO has taken advice from 2 local vets and any horse on the yard vaccinated over 6 months ago is getting a booster this week.
 
This argument to me sounds as if it hinges aground how driven you are to get out and hunt/compete/train.

I'll freely admit that if I was still hunting, when I was hooked on my adrenalin fix each week, that I'd be taking the advice of vets if the majority said it was ok to go.

Now I'm not in that situation, I'm in the 'better a short term overreaction than an epidemic' camp, and staying home at least until racing restarts.

I am honestly baffled, though, by professionals going out on horses they intend to compete this spring. Why would you?
 
For those folk who haven't concerned themselves much with the nitty gritty of the outbreak, and have simply heard that the official advice is to go ahead, then fair do's.

As I referred to earlier, it's those who know that there ARE grave worries about it, and how valid those concerns are, and then still carry on with their jollies, that I find hard to reconcile.
 
Who knows there are 'grave worries' that are not known to the BEF and BHA? They all sound cautiously optimistic not gravely worried to me.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top