PRESS REVIEW - REVUE DE PRESSE

Sep 2007

27/09 : L'épidémie de grippe équine en Australie a touché la ferme des Toft/ The Equine Influenza hits the Tofts
By Phil Hammond (www.news.com.au)
September 27, 2007 12:00am
Alors que la grippe fait rage, des chevaux ont été illégalement transportés, cachés derrière du foin ou dans des camions réfrigérés. Julie de Visser, une officielle, dit que une camionnette, un container et un camion bâché ont aussi été utilisés. Il y a des gens dont les chevaux sont bloqués et ils tentent de rentrer à la maison, d'autres essayent de conduire leur jument à l'étalon.
Quelle que soit la raison, il semble bien que les efforts de confinement mis en place pour le monde des courses ne représentent qu'une facette du problème. On estime à 250.000 le nombre de chevaux de selle au Queensland, pour toutes les disciplines équestres.
De visser dit que la plupart des propriétaires ne sont pas assez informés de la conduite de la crise. Elle dit que l'information donnée par le gouvernement est trop vague pour que les gens du monde du cheval se rendent compte de leurs faits et gestes par rapport aux dangers.
"Je suis très critique par rapport au DPI qui ne met pas à jour son site internet régulièrement, et j'ai appris tellement d'informations sur la présence de la grippe à tel ou tel endroit sans que cela ne soit écrit sur leur site WEB". Un porte parole du DPI prétend qu'une armée de fonctionnaires met à jour régulièrement le site mais que les sites infectés ne sont pas communiqués. Il ne peut confirmer les allégations de mouvements secrets de chevaux. La police non plus. Les cavaliers internationaux Peter et Penny TOft ont convoqués ce soir un meeting pour mettre au point une statégie des proppriétaires de chevaux d'extérieur affectés par la crise.
Peter Toft est en faveur de la vaccination et dit "nous voulons voir des actions précises pour mettre fin à la crise. Nous sommes sûr que bien gérée la crise peut être terminée en trois mois. Comme on est partis là on en a pour sept mois au minimum. Nous voulons que le gouvernement mette en ouevre tous les moyens pour que tout revienne à un niveau normal". Il affirme que le Queensland manque de moyens et que les propriétaires n'ont aucune assistance.
"Ils ont besoin du support de l'état fédéral au même titre que le monde des courses" dit il.
Bob Sample, qui exporte des chevaux d'endurance a ses activités à l'arrêt et dit que son fils Brook, entraîneur de Sh Mohammed est dans la même situation

AS THE equine flu virus rages, horses have been illegally moved around Queensland hidden behind bales of hay and in refrigerated trucks. A Department of Primary Industries official told Queensland Horse Council project officer Julie de Visser that a furniture van, a shipping container and a canvass-sided truck had also been used. "Some people are stuck in places and they want to get their horses home," Ms de Visser said. "Some may be trying to get a mare to a stallion."
Whatever the reason, the story illustrates that focusing on the containment efforts in place for the racing industry is only one small piece in the equine influenza puzzle facing authorities. There are an estimated 250,000 riding horses in southeast Queensland, with many involved in recreational pursuits such as camp drafting, show jumping, cutting, dressage, eventing, endurance, pony clubbing and trail riding.
Ms de Visser said many of the owners and carers of those horses were feeling ignored by the response to the crisis so far. She said influenza information being provided by the Government was so vague it made it difficult for people working in the horse industry to know if they were avoiding infected properties.
"I am critical that the DPI is not updating its website regularly – for example, I have heard a lot of anecdotal stories about where horse flu is and there are no official reports of it," Ms de Visser said.
A spokesman for the DPI said "an army" of people were regularly updating website information, but precise infection locations were not being published. He could not confirm the reports of secretive horse movements.
Neither could the police stock squad, but a police spokeswoman said: "The DPI are the people who control that information."
International endurance riding competitors for Australia, Peter and Penny Toft, have called a meeting at Marburg Community Hall for 7pm tonight to establish a voice for recreational horse owners affected by the crisis.
Mr Toft, who favours vaccination of all horses, said: "Our concerns are that we see no real plans to bring this crisis to an end. "Our view is that managed one way, this crisis can be over in three months. With the process we are following at the moment, it will take a minimum of seven months... "We want the Government to establish policy and implement plans that can see a speedy return to normal activities and events in the optimum time frame." He claimed the Queensland DPI was "grossly under-resourced and under-staffed". "There is no clear assistance available to owners of pleasure or recreational horses," Mr Toft said.
"They need the support of the state and federal governments to work through this crisis just as the more recognised racing industries do." Kenilworth-based endurance horse exporter Bob Sample said his Brookleigh Stud business was "at a standstill". So was his son's Gheerulla Stables, owned by the ruler of the United Arab Emirates, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum

13/09 : Tragique accident sur la 'Santa Fe Horse Race'
Lors d'une arrivée dans une ville du Kansas (Wichita), les deux chevaux de tête ont été heurtés par une voiture. Les deux chevaux sont morts ou ont été euthanasiés et les deux cavaliers ont été sérieusement blessés.
La discussion fait rage sur les forums américains et beaucoup se demandent si cette course a été organisée dans une perspective sportive ou pour d'autres raisons. En tous cas cela ne fait pas une bonne publicité pour l'endurance.
Speaking from a hospital in Wichita, Kan., Teresa Wilcox said “I’m one lucky woman. I’m one lucky woman.” Wilcox of Chadwick was taking part in an endurance horse race Tuesday and was struck by a car just as she crossed the finish line outside of Canton, Kan. Her horse, Mr. Valentine, died on impact. “Luckily my horse saved my life. He was tall enough it ejected me over the vehicle instead of into it. I heard people screaming and hollering. I’m sure I was doing my share” Wilcox said. Teresa Wilcox and Katy Tynes of Springfield were featured in a News-Leader article before they set out for the Great Santa Fe Trail Horse Race Endurance Ride, an 800-mile trek from New Mexico to Missouri. The race will conclude Sept. 15. They were raising money for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Springfield. Wilcox owns a tile business and trains horses. Tynes is a therapist, social worker and former president of the board of Boys & Girls Club. The women started the race on Sept. 3 with seven horses. They split up during the race, said Patrick Gartland, executive director of the club, who spoke with Tynes on Tuesday. Tynes joined a Kansas group and Wilcox went ahead with another rider. Tynes told Gartland both riders were airlifted after the accident. Wilcox was still in the hospital, but did not have any broken bones. The other rider she was with, who is from Oklahoma, suffered a dislocated hip and broken thumb. Both horses were killed in the accident. Wilcox was determined to win Tuesday, the ninth day of the race, as she had already won two days of races. In Kansas, she said schoolchildren were waving them on. Everything was going great. A little dog followed her the last three miles of the race. As the crossed the finish line, she was laughing and waving. “When you’re running that fast, they (the horses) are just flying,” Wilcox said. “Both of us were just a smiling and all of a sudden I saw this car and said ‘Oh, crud.’ I hit that car and it was like hitting a wall. I was in the air. It happened so fast. I saw a pole, a stop sign and I tucked into fetal position. “I thought I busted all my body up. I felt like I was bleeding inside. It seemed like eternity laying on the ground.” Wilcox was not sure how far the finish line was from the road. The McPherson Sentinet reported that the driver of the vehicle was transported to McPherson Memorial Hospital. An official with the McPherson County Sheriff’s Department said the driver would not be charged. Wilcox said she does not know when she will be released from the hospital or what she will do next. “Taking it one hour at a time,” she said. “I walk around. I walk like an old lady, but I’m walking.” The organizers of the event had not contacted her. “I feel really bad about my horse and her horse, too.” Wilcox said. “It’s a damn shame.”

04/09 : EnduranceWorldOnline
Le magazine en ligne www.enduranceworldonline.com propose à ses lecteurs divers articles dont Landivisiau, La Tevis, Edaran Classic en Malaisie, Libramont en Belgique et bien d'autres sujets.
The online magazine www.enduranceworldonline.com features several subjects on endurance all over the world : Landivisiau in France, Tevis in USA, Edaran Classic in Malaysia, Libramont in Belgium and many more.

Les photos de Edaran Classic en Malaisie sont en ligne; cela donne un bon aperçu du site et du terrain qui attend les compétiteurs du WEC2008. Cliquer ici pour les photos
The photos of Edaran Classic in Malaysia are on line; they will hopefully give the competitors a first view of the venue and the going of the next WEC2008. Click here for the photos

04/09 : Merri Melde was at the Iviers farm
Merri Melde est cette journaliste américaine qui parcourt le monde depuis le début de l'année. Après avoir couvert Libramont ( http://www.endurance.net/merri/stories/2007/08/endurance-internationale-de-libramont.html ), elle s'est arrêtée au Haras des Iviers où elle a pu voir notamment Pedant, Waracz ou Pamir ainsi que la production de ces dernières années.
http://www.endurance.net/merri/

Merri Melde works for Endurance.net and travels all around the globe since beginning of this year. After the coverage of Libramont ( http://www.endurance.net/merri/stories/2007/08/endurance-internationale-de-libramont.html ) and some others funny things in Belgium, Merri brought a visit to the Haras des Iviers whe she got the opportunity to see Pedant, Waracz and their offspring.
http://www.endurance.net/merri/