Crofton Manor has been given the all-clear from equine herpes virus (EHV-1) following the devastating outbreak that claimed the lives of four horses last month.
The Hampshire equestrian centre went on lockdown after it confirmed positive cases of the neurological strain of the virus, equine herpes myeloencephalopathy, the first diagnosed on 7 January.
All horses at Crofton were re-swabbed and blood-tested on 22 January and a spokesman for the centre said the yard is clear of the disease.
“We have just finished a meeting with the vets and they have confirmed that Crofton Manor is now clear as of Friday 31 January,” said the statement.
“Thank you once again to all our liveries and vets for their hard work and dedication over this very stressful time.”
The spokesman said the centre could open to outside events as of 2 March but that further updates will be provided over the next few days.
On 13 January British Showjumping (BS) introduced a requirement for horses and ponies who had competed at Crofton since 20 December to provide a negative swab and blood test before competing at any BS show. A spokesman for BS told H&H this restriction has been lifted as of today (4 February).
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Many venues in the Hampshire and surrounding areas, as well as Liphook Equine Hospital, which imposed temporary restrictions on horse movements have since re-opened after the disease was contained to horses liveried at Crofton.
“We are very pleased to announce the final set of test results from the horses at Liphook Equine Hospital have all come back perfectly clear,” a spokesman for Liphook said on 22 January.
“Although we took the cautious step of temporarily closing our hospital to ensure no risk to the wider equine community, we are now fully confident there is no infectious threat from either the hospital or horses who have been staying here. Consequently the hospital is now open again for business as usual.”
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Since joining H&H in 2018, Becky has covered a broad range of equestrian news including welfare matters, veterinary studies, FEI Tribunal hearings and road safety campaigns. She has also interviewed top riders including Scott Brash, John Whitaker and Ian Stark, to name just a few. Becky’s reporting has taken her to Canada for Spruce Meadows and France for Pau five-star, as well as the Royal Highland and Blair Castle International Horse Trials closer to home. She was also a key part of the remote reporting team for the Tokyo Olympics and the Europeans.
