Attendees bringing horses to the World Show and Celebration are reminded that ALL horses entering the grounds must present a negative Coggins test and a valid Certificate of Veterinary Inspection.  The MFTHBA Board of Directors recommends that the Certificate of Veterinary Inspection (aka health papers) be issued no more than 7 days before arrival at the MFTHBA World Headquarters and Showgrounds.  Ideally, attendees should have them issued within 48 hours or as close as possible to their arrival.

With the recent outbreak of Vesicular Stomatitis around the Midwest, attendees are encouraged to work closely with their local veterinarian to determine the requirements to enter the state of Missouri.  Additional items, including a permit issued by the Missouri Department of Agriculture, are required for those that reside in counties with positive Vesicular Stomatitis cases.

Attendees should also be aware that there is currently one premise in Douglas County, Missouri that is under quarantine for Vesicular Stomatitis.  There is a possibility that this quarantine will be lifted before the World Show and Celebration.  However, if it is still in place, out of state exhibitors will need to meet their state’s import requirements before returning.  The MFTHBA has a list of local veterinarians that can issue a Certificate of Veterinary Inspection for those needing them.

The Board also recommends that exhibitors work with the veterinarian to determine appropriate booster vaccinations needed before attending the show, including Eastern Equine Encephalitis, Equine Influenza, and Equine Herpesvirus.

All Horses Checked Upon Entry

Horses must enter through the equine entry gate to have their paperwork checked and be visually inspected.  There is a $10 per horse inspection fee. The equine entry gate will be staffed starting Friday, September 4.

Equine Entry Gate Hours:

Friday, September 4, and Saturday, September 5: 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Sunday, September 6- Saturday, September 12: 7:30 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.

For horses arriving earlier than Friday or outside equine entry gate hours, an individual will be available Friday, September 4, and Saturday, September 5 to check in horses at their stalls.  This will occur between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. each day.  To have horses checked during this time, owners must sign up in the MFTHBA office.

 

Monitor Your Horses

Before, during, and following the show, all horses should be closely monitored for any signs of illness.  Horses exhibiting any symptoms of illness should not be brought to the show.  If symptoms of any type of illness are noticed during the show, horse owners should contact the on-call veterinarian and the MFTHBA office immediately.

The following information regarding clinical signs was taken from the United State Department of Agriculture (USDA) Fact Sheet on Vesicular Stomatitis:

“The incubation period for vesicular stomatitis is 2 to 8 days. The first sign of illness is often excessive salivation. If you look inside the mouth, you will see blanched and raised vesicles or blister-like lesions on the inner surfaces of the lips, gums, tongue, and/or dental pad. These blister-like lesions can also form on the lips, nostrils, coronary band, prepuce, vulva, and teats. The blisters will swell and break open, which causes mouth pain, discomfort, and reluctance to eat or drink. This can cause severe weight loss. If the coronary bands of the hooves are affected, then lameness can occur. You may notice a rise in body temperature before or at the same time lesions first appear.

In horses, vesicular lesions generally occur on the upper surface of the tongue, the lips, the corners of the mouth, and the gums, as well as around the nostrils. The lesions in horses may also appear as crusting scabs on the muzzle, lips, ears, coronary bands, sheath, udder, or ventral abdomen.”

Practice Biosecurity

Horse owners should practice good biosecurity before, during, and following the event.  Below are some suggestions for preventing disease in your horses. These recommendations were adapted from the United States Department of Agriculture brochure “Biosecurity—The Key to Keeping your Horse’s Health.”

At the show or trail ride:

• Don’t share equipment (e.g., buckets, brushes, etc.) with other horses. Diseases, fungus, and bacteria can be spread through shared equipment.
• Wash your hands, especially after you help other people with their horses.
• When you arrive at the show grounds or trail riding facility, clean and disinfect the stalls you will be using. This is especially important in locations where another horse recently occupied the stalls.
• When you arrive home, shower and put on clean clothes and shoes before going near your other horses. Clothing can carry disease from one location to the next.

Visiting farms, horse shows, and auctions:

• Have a pair of boots or shoes that you save for visiting. These shoes or boots should not be worn around your own horses. Plastic boot covers are another option. Manure and soil collected on your boots can carry disease from one location to the next.
• Change clothes when you arrive home, prior to working with your own animals.

Bringing a horse home from a show or trail ride:

• If even one of your horses travels, all of your horses need to be vaccinated. Horses can bring disease home with them to your operation. Work with your local veterinarian to determine an appropriate vaccination program. Be sure to tell the veterinarian where you plan to travel as different areas of the country have different disease concerns.
• When you return from a trip with your horses, isolate the horse from the rest of your herd for at least 2 weeks. Returning horses should not be allowed to have nose-to-nose contact with other horses.
• Work, feed, and care for quarantine horses last to prevent spreading diseases among your herd.
• Don’t share equipment (e.g. buckets, brushes, etc.) with other horses. Diseases, fungus, and bacteria can be spread through shared equipment.
• Wash your hands and change your clothes after you work with quarantined horses.

Exhibitors are encouraged to work with their local veterinarian to determine other ways they can prevent the spread of disease.

“We want all the equine visitors to the World Show and Celebration to arrive and leave healthy,” shared Mark Mackie, MFTHBA President.  “If the health status of your equine partner is in question, we ask that you consider all the other horses attending the event when making your decision to bring the horse to the showgrounds.”