22 November 2008
Flu threat grounds Kiwi’s horses
31 August 2007
By Elizabeth Allan: Te Waha Nui Online
A former AUT University journalism student is concerned her event horses destined for Australia are going to be stuck in New Zealand thanks to equine flu.
Laura Wallace, 21, has two horses booked to fly to Melbourne on September 15 and one waiting to be flown back from Hong Kong, in preparation for the Australian International Three Day Event in November.
The event, involving dressage, cross-country and showjumping, is one of the most important fixtures in the Oceania eventing calendar.
“But as both Australia and New Zealand have shut down their borders, we’ve been told we have to sit tight and wait and see, which makes it hard to do anything,” she says.
Equine flu broke out in Australia over the last weekend in August, leading to the cancellation of race meetings and events, and a temporary ban on the transportation of horses.
Wallace says New Zealand has never had any cases of equine flu and Victoria, where she wants to send her horses, has no reported cases.
“And they’re going to be in Adelaide where there are none so it gets to the stage where you think, just let me fly my horses, please.
“But I can’t help feeling sorry for the racers and trainers because it’s devastating for them.
“Racing is New South Wales’ fourth biggest industry so you can imagine the chaos it’s causing.”
Wallace says there have been previous outbreaks of equine flu in England, Europe, South Africa and Japan.
“We’ve been lucky that we don’t have it.”
Symptoms of equine flu include a high fever, nasal discharge, a persistent hacking cough, depression and lack of appetite.
The flu does not affect humans.
