Author: Dave Basler

Mahoning Valley EHV-1 Positive

February 29- A horse in barn 8 which was pulled up in a race yesterday and showed clinical
signs of neurological issues this morning. The attending vet immediately did a
nasal swab and pulled blood and had the samples driven immediately to the ODA
lab.

Late this afternoon the results of the testing came back with a positive for
Equine Herpes Virus. Barn 8 was quarantined earlier today as a precaution and
will remain under quarantine. Unlike Strangles, EHV must be reported to the
Ohio Department of Agriculture and they will be in charge of the quarantine. The
ODA is expected to have personnel on the grounds tomorrow.

Mahoning Valley Strangles Update

February 27- Two horses in barn 4 showed symptoms yesterday and were nasal swabbed. Those
horses as well as a goat were removed from the grounds and shipped to a private
farm this afternoon.

The test results came back late this afternoon and one of the two horses was
positive for Strangles. Dr Smyth is retesting the entire barn tonight and
assuming all horses come back negative, today will be day one of 14 meaning the
earliest the barn will be eligible to come off quarantine is March 14th.

Mahoning Valley management has indicated that they will continue to keep the
gate closed to any incoming or outgoing traffic until barn 4 is out of
quarantine.

Mahoning Valley Strangles Update

The quarantine on barn 7 at Mahoning Valley Race Course was lifted on February 14th after all horses in that barn tested negative for a second time. Barn 4 remains quarantined at the track as nasal swab testing of all horses in that barn on Friday, February 9th returned three positive tests.

The horses which tested positive from barn 4 have all been removed from the grounds.

National HBPA Horsemen’s Advisory

(Tuesday, Jan. 30, 2024)
Avoid substances recently banned by HISA, including supplements claiming to mitigate bleeding, ulcers etc.; and horsemen need to be clear on compounded substances requiring medical justification.

Horsemen: We want to make sure everyone has seen the recent announcement from HIWU which reminds Covered Persons, including horsemen and veterinarians, of the following regulations under HISA’s Anti-Doping and Medication Control (ADMC) Program in regard to foreign, unapproved and/or compounded products:

• Products that are legally manufactured outside the United States must be approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to be permitted domestically. For example, Clotol, a Canadian medication used to mitigate bleeding, is not approved by the FDA and is therefore a Banned Substance under the ADMC Program.

• The compounding of products intended to mimic foreign medications that are not approved in the United States, e.g., Hemo-15, is prohibited.

• The use of compounded products requires medical justification, which must be recorded in the Covered Horse’s medical record and uploaded to the HISA portal.

• Dietary supplements with drug claims on the label, e.g., “treats ulcers,” “mitigates bleeding,” or “prevents tying up,” are, per the FDA, Unapproved, New Animal drugs and are thus categorized as Banned Substances by HISA.

We urge caution if these substances are used, and where possible, alternatives should be found. The presence, administration, possession or trafficking of a Banned Substance is considered an Anti-Doping Rule Violation.

Additionally, it has been brought to our attention that HIWU seized some Yunnan Bai Yao and it was tested. The test showed the presence of higenamine, a banned substance. Higenamine was not listed in the product’s ingredients. It is important to remember, there is unquantifiable risk in the use of herbal products in horses in a regulated racing environment.

We have been informed that a positive test result stemming from the presence of a Prohibited Substance in a supplement will be prosecuted by HIWU as an ADMC Program violation regardless of whether or not the product label listed the Prohibited Substance as an ingredient.

We must continue to caution against changes such as these, and we must continue to be the voice of reason keeping what is in the best interest of equine health and welfare.

Contact:
Eric Hamelback,
CEO, National HBPA
859.259.0451
[email protected]

Mahoning Valley Cancels Racing Monday, January 29th

Mahoning Valley has cancelled live racing for today Monday, January 29th due to adverse track conditions.

Training for tomorrow Tuesday, January 30th has also been cancelled. A decision on live racing for Tuesday, January 30th will be made after the track condition is evaluated tomorrow morning.

The live racing day will be made up.

Make up days for the two previous cancelled days at Mahoning Valley this meet have been set for Saturday February 24th and Sunday, March 17th.