To limit the spread of rhinopneumonia, an extremely contagious virus that affects horses and ponies, several equestrian competitions are canceled in the Channel. Some centers in the department are almost confined so that the disease does not reach their farms.
This is the case at the Valognes equestrian center. Its manager, Noémie Lelièvre, has chosen to no longer take her horses out of the stable. “We no longer go to competitions. My last competition was on November 24. I no longer accept horses from outside. My riders are understanding, I have no economic repercussions.”
Precautionary measures
She did not hesitate for a second to take these precautionary measures to deal with the disease which is transmitted by air. “We know that it is dangerous for horses and that it can cause damage in a stable. When there is one, there can be ten.”
The symptoms of rhinopneumonia are varied: temperature, cough, runny nose... But not only alarms the manager: “Some consequences are fatal, so we don’t take any risks. We don’t want to see our horses leave.”
A virus that returns every year
But for veterinarian Valentin Herout, “There is no need to worry. The disease is present like every year, we just have to do everything to prevent it from spreading as much as possible”.
If a case is ever detected in Noémie Lelièvre's stable, she must put the horse in isolation. “I am good at taking the temperature of all my horses every day, three times a day. It’s a whole health protocol. Like Covid, I will be in quarantine. The club would be closed.” To avoid this situation, she took the lead by vaccinating her horses against the virus, as she does every year.
