INTERNATIONAL MOVEMENT OF HORSES COMMITTEE

On September 1990, Lord HARTINGTON - then Senior Steward of the Jockey Club of Great Britain - organized at Windsor, an international forum on horses' international movements in order to deal with quarantine problems which had been acute and numerous in the past.

A month later, at the 24th Paris Conference, the Racing Authorities decided to set up a working group which obtained very positive results especially concerning quarantine problems with USA, Australia and South Africa.

On October 1994, the 28th International Conference underlined the necessity to go one step further in order to encourage international competition and exchange of horses. Then, the Conference decided to transform this informal group into a Permanent Liaison Committee on the International Movements of Horses, by extending its composition with members from Asia, South America and Africa.

The Committee was renamed by the IFHA Executive Council in March 2004 : the International Movement of Horses Committee (IMHC).

*

The General Assembly of the International Federation held on 2nd october 1995, agreed on the Committee's terms of reference, as follows :

Facilitate the international movement of racehorses,

Follow-up international health negotiations,

Propose to the relevant government departments improvements or modifications to the existing health regulations in order to adapt them to the specific situation of racehorses,

Guarantee instant transmission of health information on disease outbreaks,

Harmonize health regulations incorporated in the Rules of Racing of the member countries of the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities,

Implement similar actions for breeding horses.

*

Members and the organisations / regions represented (as at December 2021) :

Chairman: - Dr Brian Stewart, The Hong Kong Jockey Club, Hong Kong

Secretary : -Dr Anthony Kettle, Equine International Consultancy, Dubai, UAE

Members :

• •  

  - Dr Alper Mete – Jockey Club of Turkey

  - Mr Andrew Chesser - Director, IFHA

  - Dr C V Niranjan - Turf Authorities of India, India

  - Dr David Craig - Emirates Racing Authority, Dubai, UAE

  - Dr David Sykes

  - Dr Desmond Leadon - International Thoroughbred Breeders Federation, Ireland

  - Mrs Ewa Camara - EU Commission

  - Dr Göran Akerström - FEI, Switzerland

  - Dr Grace Forbes - Racing Victoria Ltd, Australia

  - Dr Hicham Debbagh - SOREC, Morocco

  - Dr Hyung-Ho Im - Korea Racing Authority, Korea

  - Dr James Given – British Horseracing Authority, Great Britain

  - Dr John Grewar - South Equine Health and Protocols, South Africa

  - Dr Katie Flynn – Kentucky State Veterinarian, USA

  - Dr Kenneth Lam - The Hong Kong Jockey Club, Hong Kong

  - Dr Khalid I. Al-Yahyan - Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture, Saudi Arabia

  - Dr Lynn Hillyer - Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board, Ireland

  - Dr Brenda Low - Singapore Turf Club, Singapore

  - Dr Mauro Meske -World Organisation for Animal Health

  - Mr Oscar Bertoletti - OSAF, Argentina

  - Dr Stephanie Chapman - France Galop, France

  - Dr Roland Devolz - IFHA

  - Dr Shri Kanth -Malayan Racing Association

  - Dr Takashi Yamanaka - The Japan Racing Association, Japan

  - Dr Youssef Kassab - Racing & Equestrian Club, Qatar

   

   

OIE Equine Disease Free Zone (EDFZ) Guidelines, 2019

The Committee prepared "Guidelines to facilitate the temporary movement of registered racehorses for international races", which was adopted by the 2002 International Conference.

 

*

Annual report on health problems by Dr Michel BERNADAC, FNCF, France

Click here to read Dr Michel BERNADAC's 2006 report.

Click here to read Dr Michel BERNADAC's 2005 report.

Click here to read Dr Michel BERNADAC's 2004 report.

Click here to read Dr Michel BERNADAC's 2003 report.

* * *

---