Riders and owners asked to play their part in controlling infectious equine disease

A new app aims to support research into transmission and spread of infections among horses

The Royal Veterinary College (RVC) has partnered with Equine Register to carry out a new research project, funded by the Horse Trust. The idea behind the work is for horse owners and riders to use their phones to create a digital record of any riding trips away from their yard or home, to include all hacks and transported journeys.

The information is uploaded to new functions called Record My Ride and Record My Journey within Equine Register’s free app, Digital Stable, to create a digital record, the aim of which is to support biosecurity.

Infectious diseases have had far-reaching consequences for the equestrian community over the years, one of the most memorable being the flu epidemic in 2020 that closed the entire racing community, while another was the equine herpes virus (EHV) outbreak of 2021. Effective biosecurity is vital in these situations if diseases are to be brought under control.

It’s argued that being able to record rides and journeys with horses via an app is an appropriate and easy way to track equine diseases so that action can be taken quickly to stop them spreading. In contrast, the uploading of paperwork and vaccination records can be slow, making that a relatively ineffective method of controlling disease spread.

All data uploaded to the app will be anonymous and it’s hoped its analysis will help scientists gain insights into how infectious diseases in horses are transmitted and spread between individuals. From this, risk and spread can be managed and any infection hot spots identified.

RVC Associate Professor in Epidemiology Dr Jackie Cardwell said: “The RVC is grateful for the vital work of the Equine Register in facilitating this important research. By gaining a much better understanding of how equine infections are spread between horses during normal equestrian activities, we can develop more intelligent solutions for the future that will ensure we can all get out and about safely with our horses in years to come.”

The app is free and available to download at www.equineregister.co.uk