Nine horses have so far died in connection with an outbreak
British horseriders are among dozens of top international showjumpers stranded in Spain in the midst of a deadly equine herpes outbreak that is threatening to devastate the horse-riding sector in Europe and the UK.
Nine horses have so far died in connection with an outbreak of the disease at an event in Valencia, according to the International Equestrian Federation (FEI), which has cancelled showjumping competitions in 10 countries across Europe at least until the end of March to stop its spread.
There are several types of equine herpes virus which are common and mild in their impact, but the Valencia outbreak, detected in mid-February, is a rarer neurological form called EHM that leads to a lack of coordination and being unable to stand.
Around 150 horses have been isolated as their symptoms play out at the Valencia venue, with many animals being held up in harnesses attached to winches or hemmed in by straw bales to prevent them from lying down.
A horse with EHM can suffer internal damage if it spends too long on the ground, possibly leading to their having to be put down.
Horses have to be held up in harnesses attached to winches or hemmed in by straw bales to prevent them from lying down
EHM has no specific cure, and spreads easily like other herpes variants through droplets from horses’ nasal secretions.
“It’s like a war zone here,” British showjumper Andrew Saether told Horse&Hound this week, explaining that he had been due to leave Valencia two weeks ago, but his horses had been caught up in the herpes outbreak.
“No one knows what to do; I’ve been going to shows all my life and have never experienced anything like this. The situation changes hourly, it’s a really dangerous virus and people need to be warned.”
The FEI said that it identified all 752 horses that had been at the Valencia event after February 1 and blocked them in its international database, meaning they will not be able to compete anywhere until they have been tested for the disease.
But cases linked to horses that left Valencia before restrictions were introduced have been found in France, Belgium, Germany, Sweden and Qatar.
In the UK, where the equestrian industry is worth over £4.7 billion per year, DEFRA said that it was monitoring the situation but so far no cases have been reported.
Jack Whitaker, son of Olympic medallist Michael Whitaker, is currently stranded with his horses in Vejer de la Frontera, southern Spain, where another showjumping event was halted this week after cases of equine herpes were detected.
“A lot of people are panicking. We’ve been told to stay put but people are trying to get out anyway,” Mr Whitaker said.
Before transporting horses from the area, an owner needs to get papers showing the animals are free of herpes. But even in that case, some UK riders have found that they are unable to book stopover accommodation for their horses on the way back amid fears of a spread of EHM across Europe.
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