I love participating in blog carnivals and so have decided to set one up focusing on ‘Equus Education‘ – that is, things that can be learnt about and from horses.

The idea of this blog carnival is to compile each month a list of blog posts that relate to this topic. Then, on a set date each month, post the list of ‘articles’ on this blog for others to read.

The idea of any blog carnival is a joint one. That is, it requires others to take part in it to increase the variety of posts available.  So if you love writing about horses and feel you have blog posts that fit under this category, consider taking part in my blog carnival each month!

Or, if you feel that you would like to write about this topic, why not start up a blog? 😉 There are free set up and design options with WordPress and Blogger.

The rules:

• Submission deadline 10th of each month
• First deadline December 10
• Carnival posted 14th of each month
• This edition posted December 14
• Submit a post (or three!) through the link below

Don’t forget to like EquusEducation at Facebook!

I recently received an email at working regarding something that has been put in place by the Department of Primary Industries (DPI) in July, 2010 – “As of July 1st, 2010, Victorian property owners who have horses residing on their land must obtain a Property Identification Code (PIC).“

You can read more about the PIC on the DPI Victorian website.

Having not been aware of this before, I think this is a great initiative that will help control biosecurity issues with regards to horses.  How?  Well if properties have a PIC, this will help to identify in the case of a disease outbreak, properties that could be affected.  It states on the DPI site, “it is critical to identify properties in the surrounding area with horses.”

The best bit is that a PIC is free and applying for one doesn’t appear to require providing too much information about the associated property.  This will definitely be something I’ll have to look into when hubby and I acquire land for agistment.  So Victorian property owners who have horses, do you have a PIC??

“You Know You’re A Horse Person When… you consider a golf course as a waste of good pasture land.”

Biosecurity is of concern when considering a career with horses. What is biosecurity? The Macmillan dictionary defines it as, ‘the methods used to prevent an infection from spreading outside an area, used, for example, in cases of foot-and-mouth disease and avian flu.’

In Australia issues have arisen in the past with Equine Influenza getting into our country and greatly affecting the Thoroughbred breeding industry. More recently, the Hendra Virus has been in the news and biosecurity measures have been taken to try to prevent the spread of this zoonotic virus.

Quite recently the exciting news of a vaccine being established was released and currently a survey is being conducted by the University of Western Sydney (Mel Taylor) and the University of Sydney in conjunction with Biosecurity Queensland and Biosecurity NSW.

Perhaps you’d like to take part in the survey ‘HHALTER‘.

For those who are interested in the idea of protecting our beloved horses and those who care for them, it may be worth pursuing a position with the likes of the Department of Primary Industries (DPI).

These are the authorities that we have to notify if a case of strangles is found on our farm, as it has the potential to spread quickly and affect other properties, especially if horse movement on and off farms is common (such as going to a show, or mares being taken to a stud for breeding).

Of course, as a horse owner and carer you can do your part to help with regards to biosecurity:

• Keep horses up to date on vaccinations and worming
• Be as informed as you can be about equine and human health
• Follow the steps on this Horses, Land, Water poster

“My horse is security conscious… he always likes to bolt the stable door when I leave.”