Equine Stories from the Heart.......

At the end of last summer I had an opportunity to participate in the Western Fair, London, to show the Paso Fino. The Western Fair is a 10 day affair so the event was shared with others interested in public awareness of the breed.

I took our stallion, Goliat. He was pretty good, really, probably better than I expected, but as his time in the confinement of the stall lengthened, his patience began to decline. If adults came to see him and tried to touch him, he'd just back away.

Children, though, was a different story. He'd walk up, lower his head and wait patiently as the children petted him.

Near our booth was a large exercise ring. I took several opportunities to take Goliat into the ring and work with him. He's a smart horse and learns quickly and well.

A lot of people would stop and watch us work.

One afternoon there was a rather large gathering, lots of children and a lady in a wheelchair.

I rode Goliat to the edge of the ring so the children could touch him. I just sat and let him move where he needed to go. Out of the corner of my eye I watched the wheelchair bound lady. She couldn't bring her arms up very high, I noticed, although she tried hard.

I hardly noticed, as I sat in the saddle, that Goliat had slowly moved himself to this lady. When he reached her she simply could not reach high enough to touch him.

I was completely shocked when Goliat took it upon himself to lower his head, practically dropping into her lap, so that she could feel this beautiful horse!

It makes me feel good every time I tell this wonderful story.

Submitted by Bruce Ellison

The attachment hereto was issued 18 May 2005 by Dr. Mary Bell, Chair of the Breeds & Industry Equine Health Committee

Report on The Veterinary Drugs Directorate 6th Stakeholder Committee Meeting

 In May of 2004, Equine Canada was invited to have a seat on the VDD Stakeholder Committee. The VDD is the branch of Health Canada that reviews and licenses veterinary drugs.

Over the last 18 years, the number of veterinary products licensed for use in horses in Canada has decreased significantly in comparison to other countries. Other species of livestock have also experienced this decrease. Drug companies have been less willing to submit new products for licensure in Canada due to the lengthy delays in review times and high fees for review. 

The VDD, drawing input from the Stakeholder Committee, has increased staff and made a significant effort to decrease the backlog of products for review. They are making major improvements in this area.

Two issues, specific to the horse, were addressed at this meeting. The first was the lack of licensed products for horses. This results in the need to use products off label* and to use products that are compounded by pharmacies. The second was the paucity of equine drugs that include withdrawal times for horses intended for slaughter.**

The VDD is trying to develop a means of providing more products for those species that have few licensed specifically for them. We have been able to assure that horses are included in this category.

Because Equine Canada restructured to include the national horse industry, we now have national representation on this Committee. This allows us to improve the health and welfare of the horse in Canada.

*Off label use includes use of products licensed for humans or for other species on horses and use of products licensed for horses in a manner that is different from the recommended dose or recommended route of administration.

**The VDD has not required drug companies to provide information related to the time required to prevent a horse from going to slaughter for human consumption following the horse receiving a specific drug. The information exists on many of these licensed products but is not included on Canadian labels. Those who are currently confused on withdrawal times can refer to the following website that has been established through the private sector:
www.CgFARAD.usask.ca

Executive Director
Equine Canada
Phone: 613-248-3433 ext. 116
Fax: 613-248-3484
e-mail: dadams@equinecanada.ca
website: equinecanada.ca

** High Priority **

To all:
An outbreak of vesicular stomatitis (VS) has been confirmed in the state of New Mexico. A fact sheet on VS is available on our website at:

Effective immediately, the CFIA is taking the following actions:

• The USDA will be asked to suspend the issuance or endorsement of export certificates for VS susceptible species originating from the state of New Mexico or for animals that have been in New Mexico in the previous 21 days. They will also be asked to provide a copy of any health certificates issued for Canada during the 30 days prior to the outbreak.
• The USDA will also be asked to provide supplementary certification for susceptible species from other states as follows:
1. "During the previous twenty-one (21) days, the animal(s) in this shipment has/have not been in any state where a premises is under quarantine for vesicular stomatitis on this date."
• A border lookout is being prepared for the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) for horses as these animals are traditionally released by CBSA on our behalf. CBSA will ask all importers of horses two questions:
• Do the equines originate from New Mexico or have they been in New Mexico within the past 21 days?
• Have the equines transited the state of New Mexico en route to Canada?

If the answer to either question is yes, the horses will be referred to the CFIA for inspection. 

For horses referred by CBSA and for all other susceptible species (which are already subject to veterinary inspection at the border), the CFIA veterinary inspector will undertake a detailed health inspection of the animals and determine whether they should be allowed to enter Canada. The inspector should refuse entry if he/she suspects that the animal has VS or has possibly been exposed to the disease.

CFIA staff are also asked to be vigilant in their inspection of other susceptible species being imported from south-western states where VS has traditionally been a problem.

Changes will be made in AIRS to address the actions taken 

Chris Quinlan for
Dr. Debbie Barr
Senior Staff Veterinarian/ Vétérinaire principale
Imports of Live Animals and Germplasm/Importation des animaux vivants et matériel génétique
Animal Health and Production Division/Division de la santé des animaux et de l'élevage
Canadian Food Inspection Agency/Agence canadienne d'inspection des aliments
59 Camelot Drive | 59, promenade Camelot Nepean, ON K1A 0Y9
Government of Canada/Gouvernement du Canada
613-225-2342 (4608); dbarr@inspection.gc.ca