Today was the first day that I actually felt we have been fighting a losing battle. The headlines may as well read "Equine influenza on the rampage in South East Queensland."
We haven't got EI here at Kholonial yet but we are sure to shortly be enveloped in the thick sticky web insidiously wafting in on the breeze. It is terribly airborne going on what has happened in the last week. Never mind that its transmitted by fomites in an occassional big jump; it is the wind that is our worst enemy.
No respite for us. We have endurance horses, not TBs. Actually, we have one TB mare who might qualify for a vaccine should I say I want to breed her to a TB stallion this year. Which I was considering......but..... seems ludicrous to vaccinate her and not the others, many of whom would be many times her worth. We won't go there. Just one of the infuriating idiosyncrasies in this whole grotty saga.
Three of our closest friends/breeders have yesterday fallen victim to EI and all in quite separate locations.
Kalkadoon (Kalkadoon Performance Horses - 28 horses), very close to Marburg. Surrounded on all sides by EI but did have some distance b/w themselves and other horse properties, stuck up a valley a little out of the way. They had stuck it out for the best part of six weeks before succumbing. It showed, like it does all too frequently, in the mares in the back paddock. Three or four of them coughing in the morning mist, punctuated by the old retired gelding in the adjoining paddock.
Lanamere, (Arabians - 26 horses) located quite some distance away at Ferny View, left a message later that day. They also found it in their broodmares in an outer perimeter paddock. It had been in Glamorgan Vale, not 2 km away from them for nearly two weeks, and seemed like it had gone over and around them. Finally coming back to haunt them.
And lastly, yesterday Steel Poppy (Performance Horses - 27 horses) and I were confiding temperatures. I was concerned as I had an uncharacteristically high reading for one mare of 38.2. Up the valley there was one with 38.3 and a cough, but nothing else, no other temps. All normal. So neither of us worried.
That is until tonight.
More mares coughing up the valley and temps abound. We knew the horses at Banks Creek, several kilometres away were infected but thought it would take longer than that! They are roughly 7km up the valley from where we are, but who knows if anyone else along the valley has positives. I'm sure we'll soon know.
Here (Kholonial Performance Horses - 16 horses), just north of Ipswich, at Kholo..... the mare (Kholonial Amazzon) that temped at 38.2 yesterday, was tonight 38.1, no coughs. All very normal.
Three of our closest friends/breeders have yesterday fallen victim to EI and all in quite separate locations.
Kalkadoon (Kalkadoon Performance Horses - 28 horses), very close to Marburg. Surrounded on all sides by EI but did have some distance b/w themselves and other horse properties, stuck up a valley a little out of the way. They had stuck it out for the best part of six weeks before succumbing. It showed, like it does all too frequently, in the mares in the back paddock. Three or four of them coughing in the morning mist, punctuated by the old retired gelding in the adjoining paddock.
Lanamere, (Arabians - 26 horses) located quite some distance away at Ferny View, left a message later that day. They also found it in their broodmares in an outer perimeter paddock. It had been in Glamorgan Vale, not 2 km away from them for nearly two weeks, and seemed like it had gone over and around them. Finally coming back to haunt them.
And lastly, yesterday Steel Poppy (Performance Horses - 27 horses) and I were confiding temperatures. I was concerned as I had an uncharacteristically high reading for one mare of 38.2. Up the valley there was one with 38.3 and a cough, but nothing else, no other temps. All normal. So neither of us worried.
That is until tonight.
More mares coughing up the valley and temps abound. We knew the horses at Banks Creek, several kilometres away were infected but thought it would take longer than that! They are roughly 7km up the valley from where we are, but who knows if anyone else along the valley has positives. I'm sure we'll soon know.
Here (Kholonial Performance Horses - 16 horses), just north of Ipswich, at Kholo..... the mare (Kholonial Amazzon) that temped at 38.2 yesterday, was tonight 38.1, no coughs. All very normal.
Pregnant 24 yo mare Keema (aka Kemal Sweet Dreams pic above, note her crippled leg) was 37.6, due to drop her foal anytime, Day 341, but not tonight. Come on Keema foal, dang you before you get sick!
Arabian stallion Abrock Noah was 37.7
Other pregnant mare Cameo Apassionataa aka Pazzy 37.5, Day 311 - hang on for a while yet Paz.
With the last sentinel Little Bit of Luck aka Lucky (the TB) at 37.8.
No coughs, all healthy. How long can we last here?
Good friend Sonya rings from Pullenvale, hotspots of hotspots - suburb right next to Brookfield to tell me that finally the EI has arrived on her doorstep. It somehow took a giant leap over to Belbowrie, then worked its way back through the RDA, Moggill PC and up to the horses near the Pullenvale Hall. She's in a bit of a state. Her horses (three of them) have temped normal and no coughs, but the EI is about 500m up the road!
I can tell she's not handling the news well for she's letting her toddler watch Teenage Mutant Ninja turtles - a show way too violent for him. A toddler with destructive powers already akin to a tornado!
The silent creep is everywhere and the people in charge tell us its being transmitted by people. Not in one instance here. It doesn't lead to much confidence in the voice of the so-called "experts".
At this stage the infected horses are all in the mild onset stages. But I thought it incredibly co-incidental that this all could be happening on such a widespread scale, as I would think there is about 40km between/about one and all mentioned in this blog. It begs the question, where else? It is just blowing out exponentially. They will never get a buffer to work at this rate. Fingers crossed for the rest of the country they can.......
Also forgot to mention we do have an infected mare, she lives in the broodmare band at Toft Endurance. Needless to say I haven't been to see her but they assure me she is doing well. Due to foal this next week. And also another dry mare who may or may not be infected as we speak in a paddock next door to Lanamere. These mares have been super endurance horses of the past and produced some super foals. Neither are young, 21 and 24 respectively so hope they are not knocked around inadvertently....
Over and out for tonight the 28th September
Good friend Sonya rings from Pullenvale, hotspots of hotspots - suburb right next to Brookfield to tell me that finally the EI has arrived on her doorstep. It somehow took a giant leap over to Belbowrie, then worked its way back through the RDA, Moggill PC and up to the horses near the Pullenvale Hall. She's in a bit of a state. Her horses (three of them) have temped normal and no coughs, but the EI is about 500m up the road!
I can tell she's not handling the news well for she's letting her toddler watch Teenage Mutant Ninja turtles - a show way too violent for him. A toddler with destructive powers already akin to a tornado!
The silent creep is everywhere and the people in charge tell us its being transmitted by people. Not in one instance here. It doesn't lead to much confidence in the voice of the so-called "experts".
At this stage the infected horses are all in the mild onset stages. But I thought it incredibly co-incidental that this all could be happening on such a widespread scale, as I would think there is about 40km between/about one and all mentioned in this blog. It begs the question, where else? It is just blowing out exponentially. They will never get a buffer to work at this rate. Fingers crossed for the rest of the country they can.......
Also forgot to mention we do have an infected mare, she lives in the broodmare band at Toft Endurance. Needless to say I haven't been to see her but they assure me she is doing well. Due to foal this next week. And also another dry mare who may or may not be infected as we speak in a paddock next door to Lanamere. These mares have been super endurance horses of the past and produced some super foals. Neither are young, 21 and 24 respectively so hope they are not knocked around inadvertently....
Over and out for tonight the 28th September
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