Veterinary Highlights

At a glance…

• EHV1 outbreak mainland Europe
• International movement of horses

EHV-1 Outbreak in mainland Europe

In February 2021 a major outbreak of neurological EHV-1occured at the Valencia (ESP) tour, resulting in the deaths of at least 18 horses. Following this, there were several secondary outbreaks across Europe and in Qatar that needed to be managed by the FEI Veterinary Department in order to contain the further spread of the virus. With almost 4,000 sick or in-contact horses, getting the situation under control was a huge undertaking requiring additional resources and stopping all competitions in mainland Europe between 1 March and 11 April.

An FEI Epidemiology Group was also formed to advise and provide support to the Veterinary Department. In order to further improve biosecurity, and allow competitions to resume, EHV-1 bylaws were put in place and the FEI HorseApp introduced, both of which have been key in preventing further outbreaks and promoting the safety of horses at FEI Events.

International Movement of Horses

The FEI Veterinary Department led the International Horse Sports Confederation’s (IHSC) taskforce for the European Animal Health Law and Brexit. The taskforce reached the highest levels of politics and managed to secure a spot for the horse industry’s items to the agenda of the Brexit negotiators. This resulted in the provision of digital passports for intra-union horse movement being introduced to the Implementation Acts of the EU Animal Health Law following a proposal made by the taskforce.

The FEI HorseApp plays an important role in facilitating the movement of horses thanks to its traceability features which are continuously evolving, allowing important recording of data and monitoring of the health of horses going to and from FEI Events.