The British Horseracing Authority has released a statement after an outbreak of Equine Herpes Virus (EHV) was reported at the training yard of Dr Richard Newland in Elmbridge, Worcestershire.
The BHA statement reads: “The BHA has issued a notice regarding an outbreak of Equine Herpes Virus (EHV) in the licensed training yard of Dr Richard Newland in Elmbridge, Worcestershire. EHV is a common virus that occurs in horse populations worldwide, and is endemic in the UK,”
“Movement restrictions have been placed on the affected yard to limit any future spread beyond the premises, with further diagnostic sampling underway to establish the precise strain, which is yet to be confirmed, but is presumed to be EHV-1.
“We are not aware of any confirmed cases in other yards, but we ask that trainers and veterinary surgeons remain vigilant to the clinical signs of EHV, and advise twice-daily temperature checks for all horses.”
Although no cases have been reported in other yards and the risk of transmission is relatively low, the BHA warn that the horses in question could have been infectious before the disease was diagnosed.
“We ask that trainers who saddled runners at the following fixtures are especially alert to the signs of the disease: Uttoxeter Racecourse, Thursday 2 June Worcester Racecourse, Saturday 4 June Southwell Racecourse, Monday 6 June.”
The BHA remind trainers and owners that any horse showing clinical signs of EHV should be investigated immediately, and veterinary surgeons must comply with BHA Rules of Racing which state that communicable diseases must be reported.
The Authority also gives some background information on the equine herpes virus, stating that the most common type of the disease is the EHV-1 variety. When a horse is affected, it causes respiratory illness and can lead to abortion in pregnant mares. A different kind of the virus, EHV-4, usually only causes a low-grade respiratory disease, but just like EHV-1, it too can cause abortion. Once a horse is infected with the virus, once the horse recovers, the virus remains dormant and can reactivate at any time later in the horse’s life.
The BHA advises that further information on the virus and the required measures that trainers must follow can be found on the EquiBioSafe App.
They also recommend that the National Trainers Federation Code of Practice for Infectious Diseases of Racehorses in Training is referred to as it outlines procedures that trainers should follow should an outbreak of infectious disease occur in a training yard.
Dr Richard Newland Racing is well-known to punters, having trained Pineau De Re which won the Grand National, ridden by Leighton Aspell at odds of 25-1 in 2014. However, the horse had only managed third in the Pertemps Final over hurdles at the Cheltenham Festival a month earlier, so it was a surprise winner.
There is currently no mention of the equine herpes outbreak on Richard Newland Racing’s website.
