Foot and mouth threatens horse world

The British Horse Society is advising riders to keep off bridleways and farmland until all danger of the disease spreading has passed.

The society says that this is out of courtesy to farmers who are understandably concerned.

Although thedisease is not a threat to horses, there will be a restriction on movement of all livestock in the following exclusion zones:

• Woodchester/Nailsworth, Glos
• Brentwood, Essex
• Isle of Wight
• Great Horwood, BucksThis will affect any shows or events planned in those areas.Hunting throughout Britain, plus a number of point-to-point meetings, has also been suspended.A MFHA spokeswoman said that as a result of a discussion with MAFF, the organisation has made a voluntary decision to suspend all hunting until next Thursday (1 March), when the situation will be reviewed once more.Many hunts decided to cancel their day of sport today (22 February) as a result of the news that the disease had spread to further farms.The Jockey Club is expected to make a decision as to whether point-to-points will go ahead as planned shortly.The Ramblers’ Association has also strongly recommended its members to cancel their walks in Essex, Buckinghamshire, the Isle of Wight, Gloucestershire and Yorkshire for fear of spreading the disease.See below for information on how your local shows may be affected

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