AN Olympic equestrian rider is one of a number of Hunter horse owners who say their horses have had negative reactions after being vaccinated for a deadly virus.
Hendra is a zoonotic virus – one that can be transferred from bats to horses then to humans. Little is known about how it’s transmitted.
The Hendra vaccination was registered in August with Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority after it underwent a limited release program from December 2012.
Olympian Heath Ryan, from Raymond Terrace, initially vaccinated all his 300 horses, an exercise that cost $80,000 to $90,000 each round of immunisations.
Immunisation consists of the initial dose, followed six weeks later by another dose, then biannually for the rest of the horse’s life.
Ryan has stopped immunising because he said the vaccinations were wicked.
He said the vaccine resulted in his horses experiencing significant side effects, including raised temperatures, inability to eat, severe swelling around the injection site and inability to put their necks down, which can be fatal.
“We experienced very unpleasant reactions, raised temperatures, suffering at the site of injection and couldn’t put their necks down,” Ryan said.
“Horses have died, horses haven’t been able to go [compete] again, and the Hendra vaccination has caused that reaction.
“These horses probably had pre-existing conditions.”
He said owners would probably not even notice these pre-existing conditions because they would not normally affect the horse.
Ryan said he believed that many side effects had not been reported.
“No one reports it,” he said.
“It’s a vaccination to save human lives, not horses.
“If you do it [vaccinate] to a stallion it could affect their sperm, which will affect people’s livelihood.”
In early 2014, Equestrian Australia announced from July, horses would not be allowed to compete unless they had been vaccinated.
To date this has not been enforced because of the many complaints EA received from horse owners, but it is not off the table.
Australian champion and active member of Hunter Valley Show Jumping Club Gail Hunter said she was opposed to the vaccination.
She said all her competition horses had been vaccinated because she believed they wouldn’t be able to compete without it, a decision she regretted.
“We had three horses with severe reactions ... very swollen necks, couldn’t walk or eat for about three to five days,” Hunter said.
She also explained that one champion horse, Oh I Say, was severely affected and went from jumping 1.4 metres to not being able to jump 90cm.
“Her winning showjumping career ended, for she couldn’t jump any more,” Hunter said.
“Oh I Say became unco-ordinated and fell over small jumps, after winning at Sydney Royal Easter Show [she then] couldn’t jump 90cm after the Hendra vaccines.”
The champion mare was her son Jake Hunter’s horse, a Youth Olympic bronze medallist.
The horse was expected to have a successful career, a dream Hunter said was long gone.
Hunter has stopped giving her horses the vaccines and later found out that her young stock would no longer have been Olympic prospects if had they finished the full course, because of international quarantine laws.
Indonesia, Malaysia and China are among the countries that don’t allow Hendra vaccinated horses into the country, another reason Hunter regarded the drug as dangerous.
No side-effects reported to me: vet
The Hendra vaccination has come under scrutiny among the Hunter’s equestrian community with some horse owners complaining of severe side effects.
Maitland Greencross large animal veterinarian Rod Starr said that in the three or four years he had been administering the vaccine there had been no side-effects reported to him.
However, Dr Starr said the vaccination had only just been fully registered this August for use through the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority and before that it had been a limited release vaccination.
He said it was important to keep in mind that illness 24 hours after the vaccination was potentially not a side-effect.
“A side-effect is what happens 12 to 24 hours after the vaccine is given,” Dr Starr said.
He emphasised the importance of vaccination, even though there had been no reported cases of Hendra in the Hunter Valley.
The virus was very dangerous to humans, he said.
“The virus is shed from the horse at least a day before they display sickness,” Dr Starr said.
Equestrian Australia introduced a by-law in July 2014, which meant horses could not compete unless they had been vaccinated.
EA revoked the by-law on February 2, 2015, but it is still under review.
“The panel responsible for this review is looking at all available data, as well as concerns raised by our members and clubs through the public submission period,” an EA spokesperson said.
“Individual horse owners are strongly urged to discuss vaccination with their vets to determine the best course of action for their situation.”
EA wanted to ensure the equestrian community that the welfare of horses and riders were at the centre of their decision-making process.
Story courtesy of the Maitland Mercury
