Equestrian sport
Equestrian association lifts herpes vaccination requirement for horses
The German rider Richard Vogel on the horse United Touch
© Rolf Vennenbernd / DPA
After a mass outbreak of the herpes virus at a tournament series in Valencia, compulsory vaccination for tournament horses was decided in 2021. Soon it will be history again – but one recommendation remains.
The German Equestrian Association (FN) raises the herpesCompulsory vaccination for competition horses from April 15th. As the association announced on Tuesday, 76 percent of the advisory board members voted against compulsory vaccination. Vaccination against the herpes virus (EHV-1) is still recommended. Since 2023, all horses taking part in a tournament had to be vaccinated against EHV-1.
In 2021 there was a massive outbreak of the neurological form of EHV-1 at a tournament series in Valencia. The world association FEI counted 18 dead horses as a result of the disease, and the FN then decided to make herpes vaccination compulsory.
The World Equestrian Federation did not go along with compulsory horse vaccinations
“When we introduced compulsory vaccination, we assumed that the World Equestrian Federation and other nations would follow suit. But that is not the case. The World Equestrian Federation also continues to waive compulsory vaccination,” explained FN General Secretary Soenke Lauterbach. In addition, the state associations would sense ongoing resistance among their members against compulsory vaccination.