In order to keep horses shod and keep farriers working during the Equine Influenza (EI) epidemic in Australia's states of New South Wales and Queensland, the Master Farriers Association of New South Wales is now working under these rules:
1. Farriers who service race horses on a race course are not to service any other horse off that race course.
2. Farriers who shoe off a race course are not to service any race course.
3. Farriers who shoe pleasure horses are not to shoe any race horse
4. Farriers who shoe race horses are not to shoe pleasure horses.
These directives will remain indefinitely until further notice; legal action will be taken if these directives are not adhered to.
A new outbreak in a former "green" (uninfected) zone near the border between New South Wales and Victoria ups the risk of the disease spreading into the southern state, which is holding its breath with one of the world's greatest stakes races, the Melbourne Cup, coming up in early November. Equitana in Victoria has been cancelled for next month and the Royal Melbourne Show went on without a horse show last month.
