Another small battle won, just as the new Minister’s Ordinance regarding the Equine Infectious Anaemia is about to be applied.

Quercia, as many other horses found positive to the Coggin’s Test, has lived for three months with the proverbial Damocles’ Sword over her head, with the risk of being put down. Her owner had contacted us to get help with the bureaucracy first and, later, to ask us to take in her mare, since it was the only chance to save her (IHP hosts the only herd of EIA positive horses in Italy).

So it started another long line of phone calls, letters and faxes, involving us, the ASL 11 (local health authorities) of Empoli, and the Health Minister. For the umpteenth time we had to acknowledge the reason so many perfectly healthy horses have been put down in the last few years: a legislation that must be improved, although the new ordinance represents a step forward (read our article); and the rigid, bureaucratic attitude of the authorities in charge, even in front of the risk of seeing killed a horse guilty only of having the antibodies of the EIA virus in its blood (in this condition, the horse isn’t practically able to infect other animals: read our in-depth article).

How many owners can afford to wait three months, while the entire structure (barn, riding stable etc.) is put under sequestration, with no departures or arrival of equines allowed, while, maybe, the other owners make pressures to have the “problem” removed and even the ASL suggests the killing of the horse as only solution? This is why, in the end, most people lose their trust and will to fight.

Quercia owes her life to IHP and, even more so, to her owner Tanja’s love.

And this tale has a double happy ending: since Tanja and Quercia must separate forever due to the current, disputable law, Tanja has decided to adopt two of the colts sequestrated in May in Trequanda and saved by IHP! They will go to live in her beautiful centre, where natural horsemanship is taught and practiced.

We are strongly set in demonstrating EIA is not a dangerous disease, in order to put an end to this unjustified alarm. Months ago, we offered our estate and our herd of positive horses as a national, official observatory for the study of this disease, but, speaking about slowness, we are still waiting the Minister’s answer…

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