EHV-1 Outbreak causes cancellation of events in 10 European countries
EHV-1 Cases in Florida and Doha
FEI EHV-1 Portal for Information and International Updates
Updated 6th March
The Sunshine Tour office has received notification from the FEI that all competition must be suspended immediately.
After the demonstration of the first neurological symptoms of the mare in isolation the FEI, RFHE, Ministry of Agriculture and the Organising Committee of the Sunshine Tour reached a consensual agreement that competition would continue until and including this Sunday the 7th March 2021, with the proviso, as long as the situation here did not change.
Today the Sunshine Tour received the results for the mare in isolation, of a second PCR test for the Herpes virus EHV-1 and EHV-4. These tests were taken on the 4th of March 2021, from two blood samples (blood with heparin and blood with EDTA). Both samples returned with negative results.
However today (5th March), a second horse has entered into isolation with mild neurological symptoms.
This new situation means that the FEI considers that the urgent cancellation of the rest of the competition is imperative.
“We would like to thank all of you, for your patience and understanding, all the riders, owners, their teams, our sponsors and everyone else involved in the event” say the organisers
5th March
The Sunshine Tour has announced that the 27th edition of the Tour will end this Sunday 7th March. The Tour was allowed to continue as an individual “bubble” following the FEI decision to cancel international events in 10 countries on the European mainland, on the condition that absolutely no new horses are allowed to enter the venues and no positive cases of EHV-1 were confirmed
The decision has been made as one horse has been seen to be showing neurological symptoms similar to EHV-1, despite the horse giving a negative result for the virus. This horse is actually in isolation more than 2km away from the main competition site and has been so since the 26th of February.
The organisers of the Tour have outlined the events as they happened in a public and press statement:
The horse arrived at Dehesa Montenmedio directly from its home stables in Belgium and was fit and healthy with no symptoms. The horse participated in the competition for the first two weeks as normal and on the first day of competition in the third week, Monday the 22nd of February.
On Friday the 26th of February the personal vet for this horse’s stables notified the organising committee that one of their horses had a fever. The horse was immediately isolated by the organising committee of the Sunshine Tour, in stables that are more than 2km away from the actual showground. According to the regulations the FEI was duly notified about the case.
At first the symptoms that the horse was expressing appeared to be those of piroplasmosis and the horse was given a blood test for piroplasmosis and a PCR for rhinoneumonitis, both results were negative.
Over subsequent days both the competition vets and the FEI vets monitored the horse’s fever and condition twice a day. After a few days the fever had subsided.
On the 4th March in the morning, the horse presented for the first time neurological symptoms.
At 4.30pm on the 4th of March, the Organising Committee of the Sunshine Tour met with the FEI, the RFHE and the Ministry of Agriculture where it was decided to close the show down at the end of competition on Sunday the 7th of March.
The above organisations have carried out a complete risk analysis and have come to an agreement between them that to guarantee an ordered departure of the horses, the event will continue until March 7th.
“We need to work together to minimise the spread of this virus and we greatly appreciate the cooperation and understanding demonstrated by all the riders, owners, sponsors and other team members involved” say the Organisers
