OIE and FEI team up on sport horse policies
The OIE and FEI called for new protocols for the movement of "high health, high performance" sport horses at the 80th General Session of the World Assembly of World Animal Health Organisation (OIE) Delegates in Paris last week.
The collaboration between the OIE and FEI is being continued, in order to define and create a sub-population of horses to reflect the high health status of top level, international equestrian sport horses. A recognition of a lower risk of disease among these horses would better facilitate their cross-border movement by national Veterinary Services.
There is a growing awareness that the approach of many governments to the import and export of horses - established to protect against disease threats amongst the general horse population - do not take into account the meticulous veterinary care of elite level performance horses.
Dr Bernard Vallat, OIE Director General, said in his opening speech: “As a result of the high increase in international equestrian sport, important constraints to the movement of horses have been revealed. It is clear that there is a need to define the criteria for healthy, high performance horses as a sub-population, which reflects the low level of disease risk involved in their movement."
With Strangles Awareness Week just around the corner (5-11 May), vets are being encouraged to share a survey about the disease with their horse-owning clients.
