Victorian Horse Deaths

Further to yesterday's Industry News item regarding sudden horse deaths occurring in certain parts of Victoria, HRA is sharing this document as a helpful resource/reminder in assessing the health and wellness of your horses and when you should involve your vet.

Rapid detection and rapid reporting are key so, in line with good equine management practices, daily temperature checks are recommended, along with assessing other basic vital signs. Quite simply if anything is above normal limits or you are in any doubt, call your vet.

This situation is also a timely reminder of the importance of ensuring the status of all horses in your care is up to date, particularly the location that they are currently residing in. This information can quickly become critical in the event of a major disease outbreak. If you have not already done so you should log into your HarnessWeb account and update your horses now.

PIC (property identification code) numbers are also vitally important in times of emergency response planning. Registering your property and getting a Property Identification Code (or PIC) means you can be contacted quickly with concerns about animals in your area. A PIC identifies the property on which horses are located and stores important contact details. It enables Agriculture Victoria to quickly contact owners in the event of an emergency such as a fire, flood or disease outbreak.

 By law, you need a PIC if you have horses, livestock or certain plants on your property in Victoria.

Victorian horse owners can apply for a PIC here, it is free and takes only a few minutes to do.