All Horses Negative to EHV-1 at 2021 CDI Ornago, Return Home Commenced

Dressage

Italy

All horses have tested negative to EHV-1 and were allowed to leave the show grounds at Stable Malaspina where the 2021 CDI Ornago took place on 6 - 9 May 2021.

Due to the EHV-1 outbreak in Valencia (ESP) in February-March, the FEI has put a special protocol in place that all riders have to sign a document upon arriving at the show that they have not been in contact with any EHV-1 positive horses.

Positive Horse at Show Grounds

A turmoil broke out at the 2021 CDI Ornago on Friday 7 May, when it became known that French Grand Prix rider Morgan Barbançon had left the show on Thursday afternoon after one of her horses at home had tested positive to EHV-1.

On Thursday 29 April 2021, Morgan had all 13 of her horses tested for EHV-1 when one had to be transported to the clinic with fever due to a colic. On 3 May the test results came back from the horse in the clinic, which was negative. A day later nine further results returned negative, including those of the three horses entered for Ornago. Barbancon decided to go to the show.

Barbancon arrived at the show Tuesday 4 May and on Wednesday evening she was notified that one horse at home, stabled outside and not having been in contact with her show horses, was positive. On Thursday morning, Barbancon discussed the case with show director Francesco Bortoletto and they mutually decided for her to leave. All three competition horses were tested by the show vet before leaving.

According to a time line provided to Eurodressage with the rundown of the situation, the show organizer did not want to immediately communicate the reason of Morgan's sudden departure in order not to panic the show. However, when on Friday the results came in that one of Morgan's horses at the show was positive, he had to alert all competition riders of the outbreak.

A barn quarantine was immediately put in place and all those horses in the A-barn were tested.

French Riders Leave

The competition horses in Ornago were spread out over several barn buildings. The A-barn, where Morgan's horses were, went into quarantine and it was made sure they did not come in contact with any other horses at the venue.

A large group of French riders, who were not stabled in the A-barn, decided to leave the show for safety reasons and voluntarily isolated their horses at home as a precaution. The majority of the riders decided to stay as strict hygiene protocols were in place and believed that no cross contamination between barns had happened.

One of the riders who left early was former French team rider Pierre Volla. He wrote that "we're back from Ornago after reorganzing the stable. It's a pity as the show started well for the French riders and my horse. Now she's alone and isolated out of precaution. We left our hay and pellets for those who stayed there, just in case."

Initially emotions ran high on the weekend about the EHV-1 outbreak which brought many complications for riders, concerning stable management at home, additional testing of horses, and potentially upending their future show schedules with already very few competitions on the calendar.

Jean-Philippe Siat was amongst those French that decided to return home. "It's really a pity as the weekend was going so well," said Siat. "Upon my veterinarian's advice and out of precaution, I'm isolating my mare for 21 days and do PCR tests every 7 days to be sure she's doing well. I'm disgusted that I have to return home in such conditions, but that's life."

Austrian rider Christian Schumach told Eqwo.net that, "we've been in touch with several vets in Austria, amongst them Britta Steininger. According to them it is very unlikely that one of our horses got infected because there was no direct contact, but of course you can't rule it out completely." He added that all his horses are vaccinated against EHV-1.

A-Barn Negative

Florian Bacher has to do extra cleaning of tack and lorry
upon his arrival home

On 8 May the show organizer announced on its Facebook page, only in Italian, that "in compliance with the rules dictated by the EIF, FISE and the rules of the regional department, the organizing committee has worked to protect, without exception, the welfare and health of the horses stabled at its facilities."

They added, "for this purpose, restricted areas, reserved training areas and controlled corridors by stewards have been put in place to allow for a controlled movement of the horses, in complete safety, while awaiting the results of the swabs."

Emotions did settle down a bit by Sunday, especially when the news arrived that all horses in the quarantined A-barn tested negative to EHV-1.