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