News

2012 AHAA Show Dates

Victoria - 2 & 3 March, Victorian AHAA State Championships at Tatura

Tasmania - 4 March, Tasmanian Baroque Horse State Show at Tasmanian Equestrian Centre

Western Australia - 17 & 18 March, AHAA National Championships at State Equestrian Centre

Queensland - 5, 6 & 7 May, Queensland AHAA State Championships at Dalby Showgrounds

New South Wales - 6 & 7 October, NSW AHAA State Championships at SIEC

2012 AHAA National Championships

The AHAA National Championships for 2012 will be hosted by the Western Australlia branch and will be held on 17 and 18 March 2012 at the WA State Equestrian Centre at Brigadoon.

Federal Council Meetings

The next Federal Council meeting will be held in March 2012 in Western Australia.

Registration of Progeny from Imported Semen

Due to recent Federal Council rulings, the following paragragh has been inserted into the Registration section of the AHAA Rules & Regulations.

"A foal born in Australia as a result of the use of imported semen may be registered in the AHAA Stud Book for Purebred Spanish Horses after it has been inscribed in the official Stud Book for Purebred Spanish Horses of Spain. Inscription proof needs to be provided in the form of copies of all relevant inscription documents officially signed as sighted by the Secretary of AHAA or a JP. The words "I certify this is a true and unaltered copy of the original" with a signature and date would be required to be written on each page of the inscription documents. The documents need to show all relevant information for the horse to be registered including (but not limited to) date of birth, identification diagrams, pedigree information, microchip number and parent DNA compatability. The foal will need to be DNA profiled with the AHAA so the AHAA has records for future parent validation."

2011 European Dressage Championships

Rotterdam (NED) 17 - 21 August 2011

Videos of the performances of top scoring Spanish horse, Fuego, ridden by Juan Manuel Munoz Diaz can be viewed at the following link.

http://www.topiberian.com/index.php?option=com_seyret&task=videodirectlink&id=4798

The Grand Prix Kur to Music is a 'must' to watch! According to the Eurodressage website, the performance of Fuego was the only one the crowds went wild about. Fuego received a standing ovation which only ended when horse and rider left the stadium.

Fuego's scores during the European Championships were:

Grand Prix 8th 73.404%

Grand Prix Special Special 11th 73.155%

Grand Prix Kur to Music 6th 80.982%

Horses for Life, online magazine, article

There is a lovely article about AHHA Life Member and former President, Don Baxter, in the latest issue (Volume 59) of the online magazine 'Horses for Life'. The link is http://horsesforlife.com/content/view/2083/1632/ . Only subscribers have access to the whole article. However, Horses for Life are offering a free introductory offer of access to one complete issue for simply registering with them.

HENDRA VIRUS FACTS

compiled by leading Veterinary Surgeon, Dr David Lovell

Hendra is back with a vengeance. The fact of the matter is that it has never gone away. The disease is here, is a fact of life, and the reality is that we all have to learn to live with it. Commonsense, understanding the disease, and some basic management steps will ensure that we can all still enjoy our equestrian activities with a minimum of risk. Even better news is the remarkable progress scientists are making with the development of a vaccine which will, if universally taken up, be the answer to the problem. It looks like there is a very reasonable chance that we will have vaccine available next year. The current situation is calamitous with 4 separate outbreaks to date and the possibility of more to happen. The period May through September is regarded as the "peak period" for Hendra although it has happened throughout the year, but it appears that June, July and August have been predominant. Of some real concern is the statement by the chief veterinary officer that sampling this year has reported a 30% incidence of virus in bat samples as compared to some 10% in other years.

Basically the disease is present in fruit bats without having any apparent clinical effect on them. It is known that the virus can be shed at particular times in the fluid secretions of the bat, with saliva and urine being potent sources. A relevant fact about fruit bats is that they ingest fruit and nectar, process it in their fore stomach, and then regurgitate it or "spit" it out in what are known as spats. This material has a high concentration of saliva and potentially, could be palatable to horses as in reality it is simply processed fruit material. One of the very pertinent findings reported by Dr Hume Fields, Our own leading Queensland world authority on fruit bats, is that they have been able to find very high concentrations of virus material directly under trees in what they call the "drip zone" and almost no virus once they leave the perimeter of the trees. This area is where the spats and urine of feeding bats will be dropped and potentially an extremely high risk area for horses. These findings are not yet published but I believe that they are critical information that horse owners need to understand as it provides solid proof that there is a very real "hot zone" of opportunity for horses to become infected. The obvious outcome is that management of horses must absolutely prevent horses from access to these areas.

For a horse to contract Hendra virus, they must have direct access to a source of the virus. They will not catch Hendra virus from "the wind". Direct access to a source of the virus means either fruit bat fluids or another infected horse that is actually excreting virus. Humans then need to be exposed to fluids from a horse excreting the virus. (Nothing has ever been proven that a human could not contract the disease directly from exposure to bat fluids so always keep that in mind). A disturbing fact is that it is now known that a horse can actually secrete the virus for a short period of time before actually displaying any clinical abnormalities. (It is critical to remember that there is an incubation period of 5 - 16 days from when the horse is exposed to the virus and when it will develop signs of disease). An understanding of these simple facts regarding Hendra virus provide us with the keys to management that will allow us to eliminate, or certainly dramatically reduce, the risks from this disease.

Information from the Horse Industry Council

ARBOVIRUS INFECTIONS IN HORSES
• The wet spring and summer have resulted in an increased risk of insect borne virus or 'arbovirus’ infections in horses.

• Horses are a 'dead-end' host for mosquito-borne arbovirus infections, which means that a horse is not a source of new infection for people or other horses.

• Veterinarians in Victoria, NSW and South Australia are reporting increased numbers of horses with two distinct disease syndromes:

o Muscle and joint soreness

o Nervous signs

• Reports of horses with nervous signs have originated from:

o along the Murray River in Victoria

o the south eastern region of South Australia

o various locations in NSW, including west of the Great Divide, from Mungindi in the north to the Murray River, and a significant cluster in the Hawkesbury Valley west of Sydney and also the Upper Hunter Valley.

• Some horses have been severely affected. Most horses with clinical signs recover over several weeks with good husbandry and veterinary care; however, as of 30 March 2011, of the 100 cases in NSW, around 15 have died or have had to be euthanased for animal welfare reasons.

• Laboratory testing of samples from the horses with soreness indicates that most infections are probably due to Alphavirus infections including Ross River virus.

• Laboratory testing of samples from horses with unusual nervous signs suggests that a majority of cases are due to infection with one or more viruses belonging to the Flavivirus group of viruses that includes viruses like Murray Valley encephalitis virus and Kunjin virus. Testing of samples to date has ruled out Japanese encephalitis virus.

• Hendra virus infection has been ruled out from all four states (QLD, NSW, VIC and SA)

• Necropsies are taking place on infected dead horses to determine the cause of these infections.

• It is important that veterinarians and any assistants take stringent precautions when performing necropsies on horses showing neurological clinical signs. Great care should be exercised when handling brain and spinal cord tissue and appropriate personal protective equipment should be utilised as part of a risk management approach to personal safety.

• There has been no increased incidence of muscle/joint soreness or nervous signs in horses reported in Queensland.

• Horse owners are urged to reduce the exposure of their animals to insect bites, in particular, mosquitoes.

o This can be done by using registered repellent products to reduce insect bites, and through other measures including rugging and the use of fly masks.

• Horses suffering from these arboviruses commonly display clinical signs including, but not limited to:

o a reluctance to walk

o a stiff gait

o ataxia (uncoordinated)

o depression

o tremors.

• Owners who notice that their horses display unusual signs should immediately contact their private veterinarian.

• Situation updates and more local information is available on each state’s Department of Primary Industries website:

Changes to AHAA Show Rules

The AHAA SHow Rules have been amended to incorporate the new EA Stallion Safe Guidelines. The amended rules can be viewed by clicking here . The EA Stallion Safe Guidelines can be viewed by clicking here .

Royal Melbourne Horse Show

The Andalusian classes at the 2011 Royal Melbourne Horse Show were held on Saturday, 22 January 2011 at Werribee Park National Equestrian Centre. The judge for the day was well known and successful Grand Prix dressage rider Mary Hanna. The classes were well supported with 7 Spanish and 6 part breds in attendance. The Supreme Champion Andalusian was taken out by Alegria Asombroso owned by the Alegria Spanish Horse Stud.

Click here for full results.

Alegria Asombroso - Supreme Champion Andalusian and Champion Ridden Andalusian at the 2011 Royal Melbourne Horse Show

Equitana Comes to Sydney in 2011 for the Very First Time

Horse lovers from all over Australia and around the World will now be able to experience the biggest and most exciting equine event in the Southern Hemisphere - EQUITANA - in Sydney. EQUITANA Sydney will be launched at Sydney Showground in November 2011. This inaugural event will also incorporate the Equestrian Australia - Australian Grand Final. Equestrian Australia has joined forces with Definitive Events, the organisers of EQUITANA in Australia, to develop a national annual Grand Final for Dressage, Jumping and modified Eventing. The Grand Final will be conducted within EQUITANA annually and will alternate between Sydney and Melbourne. EQUITANA Sydney will also incorporate Australian Grand Finals in Campdrafting, Reining and Cutting. This exciting announcement for the equine community is the culmination of 2 years of planning and negotiation with Equestrian Australia, Events NSW and Sydney Showground. Sydney Showground will play host to four days of competition, entertainment, education and exhibition. The transformation will include seating for over 6,000, 250 stables and yards, accommodating nearly 1,000 horses and 100 head of cattle, 300 cubic metres of sawdust and 2000 tonnes of soil.
Peter King, Chief Executive, Royal Agricultural Society (RAS) of NSW, said "The RAS is looking forward to expanding its long association with the equine community and is thrilled that Sydney Showground will be host venue for EQUITANA Sydney, one of the most prestigious events of its kind in the world,"

AHAA at Equitana 2010

Helen Morphett writes: Equitana 2010 was held at the Show Grounds in Melbourne during the month of November.
The weather for the first two days was lousy but when Lyngara Fillypa and I arrived on Saturday the sun came out. The AHAA stand was very busy throughout the four days with Lyn Salau being the main support. Fillypa displayed "la Garrocha" in the breeds display on the big outdoor arena on the Saturday and Sunday. On the Sunday she did a demonstration with music in one of the pavilions which created a lot of interest. The crowd became very thick and appreciative of her workout. She was up on the Horse Deals/Equitana website during the event in their photo gallery. The photos above were taken by Delwyn Moss Photography.

Horse industry unites to fight exotic diseases

A landmark agreement proposed by Animal Health Australia has received universal support by all sectors of the Australian horse industry and by a Senate committee which tabled its report on Friday. Western Australian Senator Dr Chris Back, an equine veterinarian, has strongly endorsed the recommendations of the Rural Affairs and Transport References committee which has examined the implications of the industry Emergency Animal Disease Response agreement.

Senator Back said once horse industry representatives sign up, the federal government can immediately coordinate a nationwide response in the event that any one of the 22 exotic diseases affecting horses was detected in Australia. Hendra, rabies, and equine influenza are examples of such diseases. All other animal industry sectors in Australia have signed up to an EADRA equivalent. This will now ensure federal, state and territory government resources can be effectively mobilised in the event of an Australian outbreak of an exotic horse disease. Under the Australian Constitution, animal disease management is the role of each state and territory.

Dr Back said Australia had a wake-up call when Equine Influenza was diagnosed in 2007.

"The direct cost of eradicating EI exceeded $300 million but the true cost in lost earnings, betting taxes, interrupted racing and breeding programs and cancelled horse events in several states exceeded $1 billion," he said. "In fact, the industry is still feeling the effects. "While EI was highly contagious, it did not kill many horses," he said. "If we were to get African Horse Sickness or any other insect-borne neurological disease, we could lose tens of thousands of horses before it could be brought under control. "We have the insect species which is capable of carrying some of these diseases here in Australia." Glanders, a disease first identified in the third century AD, has recently been diagnosed in the Persian Gulf. Horses have been put down in an attempt to control the disease. The Gulf is only 10 hours flying time from Australia.

Dr Back congratulated Animal Health Australia for its role in coordinating meetings of the horse industry sectors to explain the implications of signing up to the Emergency Animal Disease Response Agreement. "A hearing held by the Senate committee recently in Canberra, showed there was clear evidence of understanding, goodwill and common purpose across the industry," he said. The horse industry, in all its aspects - commercial, recreational, performance and breeding - is a multi-billion dollar enterprise, employing in excess of 100,000 people. The time has arrived for stakeholders to unite.

"By speaking with one voice, the industry will achieve more when dealing with Government".

"Hopefully signing up to the EADRA is the catalyst for all industry sectors to see the benefit of this approach," Dr Back said.

Anthony Pelling Competes in Dressage at SICAB 2010

Anthony Pelling, son of Ron & Mary-Lou Pelling of Theodore (Qld), qualified for SICAB 2010 and rode in 2 tests. He is the first Australian to ever ride at SICAB.

SICAB is a trade show and series of Championship level competitions dedicated exclusively to the Purebred Spanish horse. It is organised by ANCCE and takes place in Seville in November of each year. No other event in the world that brings togethers such a large number of horses is dedicated exclusively to a single breed.

Anthony placed 6th in the Doma Clasica Reprise San Jorge (Prix St George) & 6th in the Doma Clasica Kur Inter I. He rode a mare called Babieca XXXIX, owned by the Candau Stud. You can see him ride with the following link:

http://2010b.sicab.tv/principal/

Change the language to English and then navigate with the instructions below. Change the language to English and then navigate with the instructions below.

For the Prix St Georges - go to Wednesday, click on Doma Clasica Reprise San Jorge at 15:00 pm, then click on Babieca XXXIX and the video will start.

For the Kur - go to Thursday, click on Doma Clasica Kur Inter I at 14:00 pm, click on Babieca XCXXIX and the video will start.

Anthony travelled to Spain when he was 18 or so and worked at Yeguada Candau. He tried to get into the Royal School of Equestrian Art in Jerez but was unsuccessful - no foreigner has ever been selected for the school. Until recently, however, he was having riding lessons twice a week with Rafael Soto, who rode Invasor at the Sydney 2000 Olympics and Athens 2004 Olympics. Now, at only age 24, he is head rider for Yeguada Candau.

Well done Anthony!

Helen Morphett at the Emirates Melbourne Cup launch

Photo by Gina Milicia

Helen Morphett on Lyngara Fillypa with Stephanie Shreeve and Mr Miguel Gomez de Aranda, the Consul General of Spain in Melbourne

Helen Morphett, well known AHAA member (particularly for her Garrocha performances) and her horse, Lyngara Fillypa, participated in the media launch for the renowned Emirates Marquee in the Birdcage for the Melbourne Cup Carnival (MCC). Because Spain was the 2010 theme of the Marquee was Spain, the organisers wanted to have an Andalusian horse at the entrance to the venue in Federation Square. So Lyngara Fillypa had her first trip to Melbourne CBD. She behaved like the true Spanish horse she is, displaying 'garrocha' at the entrance while helicopters were flying overhead and while being filmed by Channel 7, Network 10 & Age online. Helen was interviewed by 3AW & photos were taken with Miguel Gomez de Aranda (Spanish Consul General), Barry Brown (Emirates Vice President in Australasia) and Claire Winton Burn (Master Chef finalist). Helen & Lyngara Fillypa were on the front page of the MX Melbourne Newspaper and also featured in the Herald Sun, The Age and North Central Review. A picture of Helen & Fillypa and the model, Sephanie Shreeve, will be displayed in the Emirates Marquee. Helen had a great day & the Spanish Horse had some terrific exposure.

World Equestrian Games 2010 Dressage Results

Grand Prix: Fuego XII placed 5th in the Grand Prix with an exceptional result of 73.975%. A video of the Grand Prix test (courtesy of topiberian.com) can be seen on http://www.topiberian.com/htmlvideos/fuego_gp.html . Norte placed 25th and Gnidium placed 57th. Both Fuego XII and Norte were in the top 25 to qualify for the Grand Prix Special.

Grand Prix Special: The top 25 horse/rider combinations from the Grand Prix compete in this event. Fuego XII placed 4th with an historic score of 76.042% and Norte placed 23rd with a score of 68%. The 3 horses ahead of Fuego XII were Totillas (ridden by Edward Gal for The Netherlands), Mistral Hojris (ridden by Laura Bechtolsheimer for Great Britain) and Ravel (ridden by Steffan Peters for USA). The Eurodressage website had this to say about Fuego XII:

"Second-last into the arena were the crowd-pleasing partnership of Spain's Juan Manuel Munoz Diaz and his delightful dancing stallion Fuego X11. Their score of 76.842 would leave them just out of a medal position, but Spain's rising fortunes in the sport of dressage have been clearly evidenced this week and the Andalusian stallion and his rider, who first rose to prominence when winning the Spanish Championships in 2008, today threw down the gauntlet as top-level contenders"

Grand Prix Kur to Music: The top 15 horses from the Grand Prix Special compete in this event. Fuego XII placed 5th with a score of 81.45% and the Eurodressage website had this to say about his test:

"The Spanish test was gorgeous. The movement mechanism of this horse is typical Andalusian but with the same scope of a warmblood. His tempo is quicker and he gets slightly hectic -- let's say overexpressive -- but this horse has so much balance and a great ability to lengthen and collect the frame in combination with superb elasticity and freedom in the shoulder.

The trot half passes were superb: fantastic in rhythm and so much off the ground. The passage is regular and well suspended and the trot extensions have more lengthening and ground cover than Totilas'. Unfortunately the extended walk was mediocre, but the canter work was high level. The canter half passes were big and the one tempi's were brilliant: so uphill and still so much ground cover. Their final centerline was superb and the pair achieved 76.042% to finish fourth. A wonderful and well earned achievement for Munoz Diaz, who is trained by Spanish team coach Jan Bemelmans."

A video of the Grand Prix Kur test (courtesy of topiberian.com) can be seen on http://www.topiberian.com/index.php?option=com_seyret&task=videodirectlink&id=1542&Itemid=67&lang=es .

World Equestrian Games 2010

Fuego XII Gnidium

Norte

The 2010 World Equestrian Games are just around the corner! The event will be held in the state of Kentucky, in the US. Spain will be in the spotlight due to the fact that, for the first time, three Purebred Spanish Horses have been chosen to represent Spain’s National dressage team. These horses are:
FUEGO XII, ridden by Juan Manuel Muñoz, owned by Miguel Ángel de Cárdenas Osuna and bred by Joaquín Márquez González.
GNIDIUM, ridden by Rafael Ortiz Alcalá-Zamora, owned by Yeguada de Azores and bred by Hnos. Camacho Benítez.
NORTE, ridden by José Antonio García Mena and trained at the ANCCE High Performance Center, is owned by Yeguada Lovera.

The World Singles Carriage Driving Championships will be held in Pratoni del Vivaro, Italy in July 2010. The venue is the Italian Equestrian Centre and is used for many horse events, both ridden and driven and is situated about 35km south of Rome.
Two drivers from Australia, Michelle Jones and Elizabeth Lawrence, have qualified for the World Championship competition.   The FEI qualifying competition was held at Bungendore, near Canberra, during January. In order for the competition to be accredited as an FEI Qualifier, foreign judges were used.   Both these judges spoke highly of the standard of dressage displayed by the two drivers.
Michelle from Broadford, Victoria was driving her first cross Andalusian mare, Shepherd’s Hill Cylia (pictured above).   Michelle has trained the mare herself since purchasing her from Shepherd’s Hill stud as a 4 year old.  Elizabeth from Western Victoria, drove her Friesian x gelding, Shepherd’s Hill Michael to qualify.   Shepherd’s Hill Michael was also purchased from the Shepherd’s Hill stud, as a yearling. Both drivers will be busy competing prior to their departure in June.   They will not be taking the horses with them on this trip as they are planning to lease horses in the UK.   They will spend several weeks training with the horses before taking them to Italy for the World Championship.
You can keep updated regarding the girls on the web.
www.australiancarriagedrivingteam2010.com