British Dressage has been working closely with the organisers of the Winter Championships to put necessary precautionary measures in place as a result of the EHV- 1 outbreak in Gloucestershire. We take the welfare of our horses extremely seriously, so have taken extensive veterinary advice in making a decision on the Championships.
Based on the advice, the Championships will go ahead. We will be putting in place a range of bio-security measures to minimise the risk of spreading any disease. These measures include the following:
• All horses entering the venue will undergo a health check prior to entry. This will include a simple visual check and taking of temperatures. Unfortunately, horses found to be running a temperature or showing other concerning symptoms will be refused entry to the show ground.
• All stables will be disinfected with a DEFRA approved disinfectant between horses. To assist with this, members will be provided with an empty stable and are asked to leave it empty when they depart. (A refundable deposit of £25 will be requested on arrival to cover the cost of cleaning the bed should a member not comply with this request. Deposits will be refunded once beds have been cleared.)
• Disinfectant foot baths and hand scrubs will be provided for use by competitors.
Members are also advised to check their horses prior to travelling to the show (including temperatures). We urge members to help protect the wider equestrian community by not travelling any horses showing signs of ill health. It is also strongly recommended that anyone who has hunted, or may have come in to contact with anyone that has hunted, with the Heythrop, the Beaufort or the Berkeley since 6th March 2013 DO NOT travel their horses.
As the incubation period has passed and to our knowledge no further horses from the Myerscough Premier League are showing symptoms, the vets advise there should be no restriction on horses from this show coming to the Championships.
We appreciate that some of these measures will inconvenience competitors coming to the Championships; however, we hope you will understand that we’re taking this action to protect you all as much as we can. We urge all members to act responsibly and to be patient where needed. The Organisers of the show have been working around the clock to put these measures in place and to keep the show running.
Separate bio security information is available on the competitor information page of the Championship website giving full details of how the precautions will be implemented and includes the access times when horses may arrive on the show ground. It is requested that competitors read and understand all the requirements for attendance at the Championships.
The health and wellbeing of horses is always the first priority and we consider that we have taken appropriate advice and that we are taking all reasonable steps to reduce any risk. Members are requested to act responsibly, consider others and if further guidance is needed we suggest contacting home vets.
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NAF Five Star Winter Dressage Championships – EHV Statement
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