No abstract

No abstract

Providing stabled horses with regular exercise is likely to provide positive effects on horse welfare, training ability and handler safety.

Summary Veterinarians generally focus on keeping the performance horse in work but they need to be mindful of ways in which the work itself may jeopardise the animal's welfare and health. Elements of a horse's work may expose it to the risk of injury but insults to wellbeing, which are far more common and far more sustained, although less overt, also deserve consideration. A good example is the way in which chronic physiological stress responses arising from inhumane training techniques may compromise immunity and tissue repair. This article explores the physiological and musculoskeletal insults that can result from ridden work, alongside the gear and training paradigms that can compromise welfare. It also considers issues relating to the use of pharmaceuticals in the ridden horse. With stress reduction as a primary focus, it emerges that veterinarians are uniquely placed to comment on the somatic effects of psychological stressors, including the social and ethological challenges resulting from the work required of the so‐called elite equine athlete. Whether the profession will step up to meet this significant challenge is also discussed.

Equine influenza (EI) was first diagnosed in the Australian horse population on 24 August 2007 at Centennial Park Equestrian Centre (CPEC) in Sydney, New South Wales (NSW), Australia. By then, the virus had already spread to many properties in NSW and southern Queensland. The outbreak in NSW affected approximately 6000 premises populated by approximately 47,000 horses. Analyses undertaken by the epidemiology section, a distinct unit within the planning section of the State Disease Control Headquarters, included the attack risk on affected properties, the level of under-reporting of affected properties and a risk assessment of the movement of horses out of the Special Restricted Area. We describe the epidemiological features and the lessons learned from the outbreak in NSW.