Source:  News Release

New health requirements help ensure safety

HITS, Inc. teams up with longtime partner Zoetis to develop health requirements

After putting in hours of training to prepare for your next HITS show, the last thing you want is your partner getting sick at the event or when you return home. New health requirements for all HITS shows are designed to help ensure that won’t happen.

“The truth is that every time horses travel and co-mingle with other horses from different backgrounds, there is a risk for disease,” says Kenton Morgan, DVM, Zoetis Equine Veterinary Operations. “When you have that many horses in one spot, you can never eliminate the risk of an infectious disease outbreak, but we can help minimize it by implementing these procedures.”

The new health and safety measures were developed using current guidelines from the American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP), university equine education materials (particularly the University of California at Davis, College of Veterinary Medicine) and state regulations and include:

• Certification for a negative Coggins test, including horses that originate from the state where the event is being held.
• Health certificate issued within 30 days of arrival.
• Event Participation Declaration verifying that the horse has been healthy with no sign of infectious disease and has not had a fever above 102°F within 72 hours of entry.
• Proof of vaccination from the attending veterinarian that the horse has been vaccinated against the following:

o   Within six months/180 days of entry

1. Eastern and Western equine encephalomyelitis
2. Rabies
3. Tetanus
4. West Nile

o   Within three months/90 days of entry

1. Equine influenza
2. Equine rhinopneumonitis (equine herpesvirus  Types 1 and 4)

The AAEP publishes a list of recommended core and risk-based vaccines, both of which are included in the HITS requirements. Core vaccines are recommended for all horses, but there are many variables that must be weighed before veterinarians recommend risk-based vaccines.

Dr. Morgan notes that HITS considered the risk of traveling and comingling with other horses when developing risk-based vaccinations for equine influenza and equine rhinopneumonitis.

For horses not competing in HITS events, the risk may be different but still financially significant. For example, the financial risk of equine influenza virus can reach up to $885 in an unvaccinated horse.*  

Dr. Morgan points out that HITS strived to make the guidelines easy to achieve and familiar to most competitors.

“These measures are a good precautionary move,” says HITS president and CEO Tom Struzzieri. “These horses are top athletes, and we’re happy to provide any service that better enables them to perform to their full potential and keeps them safe and healthy. An important part of this initiative is continuing to keep our events running smoothly.”

Any horse not accompanied by these documents will be directed to the show veterinary clinic to obtain the required documents and/or vaccinations.

“HITS should be commended for their work in preparing for, and helping prevent, an infectious disease outbreak,” Dr. Morgan says. “A rare but serious event that makes show managers lose sleep at night would be an incident like a neurologic herpesvirus outbreak. Fortunately those events are rare. But we are still concerned for the potential of an equine influenza or equine herpesvirus respiratory disease break at large equestrian competitions."

The HITS health requirements address those situations, and one of the most important steps is the Event Participation Declaration, to help catch horses that may be exhibiting signs of virus incubation, such as fever, before they have the chance to infect other horses.

“That’s a good safeguard, and along with current vaccinations and proper health entry documentation, this program will help significantly reduce the risk of a disease break occurring during the competition,” Dr. Morgan says. “Zoetis is proud to have helped our longtime partner, HITS, with such an important program that is truly forward-thinking.”

For more information about the HITS health requirements, see the show Rules and Regulations located in all three online prize lists, available at www.HitsShows.com.

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