Equine Health & Biosafety
Equine Health & Biosecurity Requirements
Updated May 30, 2023
Blenheim EquiSports is dedicated to the health, welfare, and safety of all equine and human exhibitors.
Following the recent outbreak of vesicular stomatitis (VS) virus in Riverside and San Diego Counties, Blenheim EquiSports is abiding by the US Equestrian guidelines and recommendations, as outlined here by the Equine Disease Communication Center.
Blenheim EquiSports will be requiring a certificate of veterinary inspection within 72 hours of arrival at the Rancho Mission Viejo Riding Park. The certificate must include both of the following two statements:
“I have examined the animal(s) represented on this certificate of veterinary inspection and have found no clinical signs of vesicular stomatitis and they have not originated from a premises under quarantine for vesicular stomatitis.”
“I declare that the horse listed below is not demonstrating any signs of EHV-1, has not had any known exposure to EHV-1 in the past 21 days, and is not coming from a property with known EHV-1 positive cases.”
Upon arrival at Blenheim EquiSports, each horse will be examined by a qualified, licensed and accredited veterinarian or their designated trained technician in the upper parking lot prior to entry to the stabling area.
Before Arrival At The Showgrounds, the following REQUIREMENTS MUST be met:
- Record your horse’s temperature twice daily for at least three days leading up to arrival.
- Acquire a certificate of veterinary inspection that includes the two statements, as outlined above.
No haul-ins:
Horses must be checked into a stall and follow the biosecurity protocols. No daily haul-ins are allowed.
Upon Arrival
To accommodate these safety protocols, we will be offering early arrival for the start of the series on Sunday, June 11, from 8 a.m. through 5 p.m. and continually daily during those hours. All move-ins must be scheduled in advance utilizing an online sign-up form that will be issued by email and published online.
Upon entering the showgrounds, you must present:
- Your certificate(s) of veterinary inspection,
- Temperature logs for the past 3 days for each horse and
- Each horse’s vaccination records, including the horse’s name and date of vaccine, attested to by your veterinarian and in accordance with USEF Equine Vaccination Rule GR844.
These documents must accompany your horse and trailer.
Of note to all exhibitors:
- Temperature charts will be supplied and horses’ temperatures must be taken twice daily. Any temperature over 101.5°F shall be reported to competition management.
- Exhibitors are required to observe horses for clinical signs of vesicular lesions and report any signs to veterinarian or competition management. There will be an immediate isolation of any horses with vesicular lesions.
- New insect management systems will be put in place prior to and during the three-week June Series.
The following biosecurity management measures are also highly recommended:
- Eliminate whenever possible common water sources during the event.
- Strongly discourage the use of shared equipment and tack between participants.
- Minimize exposure to fly vectors through use of fly wipes, sprays, foggers, and other repellents for use on animals, applied as directed by label instructions.
Should the conditions change, our policies will be updated accordingly. Learn more about Vesicular Stomatitis prevention here.
Penalties:
Due to the severity of the EHV-1 cases that are currently in California, the documents that will be required to bring a horse to the Blenheim EquiSports showgrounds will be considered truthful and binding. In the event of any of these protocols being disregarded, we will refuse further entries from all related horses and we will inform USEF for further disciplinary action. Noncompliance with these protocols will result in penalties imposed by USEF on trainers and owners who knowingly permit non-compliant horses on the showgrounds.
Links to additional resources: