Trainer takes liaison role

By Chris Brown
NAR Nar Goon horse trainer Miranda Cox will liaise between horse owners and authorities if a horse disease breaks out in the area, as part of her role as an industry liaison officer.
“If there is an emergency disease outbreak I would be brought in to work in the operation centre and contact most of the relevant horse people,” Miss Cox said.
Miss Cox said she and other liaison officers would work to control an outbreak as quickly as possible to minimise its effects.
Issues to be considered include whether to stop horse events and horse transport to prevent the disease spreading.
She said the risk of an outbreak is “very minimal”.
“There’s not a huge range (of diseases) for horses but probably equine flu or herpes virus are two of the more likely ones that could arise.”
However, horse movement across international boundaries increases the threat.
“The risk has increased a little bit more now because we have so many horses being transported in and out of the country,” Miss Cox said.
In 1994 the Hendra virus affected the Queensland horse industry when it jumped from bats to horses and then to humans, killing horse trainer Vic Rail. Quick quarantine actions meant interstate horse industries were not badly affected.
Miss Cox was invited to be a liaison officer because of her many horse industry contacts.
“It was also because I have been the secretary of the South East Victoria Equine Network,” she said.
The owner of Comstock Racing, she was brought up with horses and has been around them all her life.
“I have an agistment property at Nar Nar Goon and I train race horses,” she said.
Miss Cox attended a training session with other industry liaison officers where they learned what they would do if there were an outbreak.
Horse owners can register their horses on the horse emergency contact database at www.horsecouncil.org.au.
Registration enables owners to be informed by fax, email or SMS if horses are at risk because of fire, floods, disease outbreaks or seasonal weed problems.
Animal Health Australia aims to have 1000 industry liaison officers by mid2007.
Liaison officers are part of the ‘protect Australian livestock’ campaign, which aims to increase disease risk awareness.
An emergency disease watch hotline is available for livestock producers if they notice animals behaving strangely or unusual disease symptoms, as part of the campaign. The hotline number is 1800 675 888.