IN LINE with European racing requirements for equine influenza,the following vaccination changes have been introduced by the Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board and the British Horseracing Authority from January 1st this year:

A. For horses that have been vaccinated with a valid first vaccination before January 1st 2022 the following shall apply as previously:

1. Primary course of vaccination shall comprise of:

a. First vaccination;

b. Second vaccination between 21 and 92 days after the first;

c. Third vaccination between 150 and 215 days after the second.

2. Booster equine influenza vaccination administered at least on an annual basis until January 1st 2023 (or such lesser time as the IHRB may direct).

A. The following shall apply for horses that have been vaccinated with a valid first vaccination on and after January 1st 2022 :

1. Primary course of vaccination shall comprise of:

a. First vaccination;

b. Second vaccination between 21 and 60 days after the first;

c. Third vaccination between 120 and 180 days after the second.

2. Booster equine influenza vaccination administered within six months (or such lesser time as the IHRB may direct).

Boosters should be administered no more than six months apart, according to calendar months rather than fixed number of days.

There is no change in the post-vaccination stand-down rule that prohibits horses from racing within seven days of vaccination.

Induction period

On the implementation of the recently announced changes in the vaccination rule, an interim induction period has been granted to trainers in Ireland in order to implement the changes with minimal disruption to training.

Until January 2023, a race entry will not be refused on the grounds of having not yet commenced six-monthly boosters.

But as of January 1st 2023, an entry for a race, or a confirmation of entry, will not be accepted for any horses unless it has a correct vaccination record, showing that the horse has been last vaccinated within six months of the race date.

The new equine influenza vaccination rules were implemented in both France and Germany on May 5th 2021, so horses entered to race in these jurisdictions must already be compliant with the changes.

France has also introduced an additional rule with compulsory EHV (equine herpes virus) vaccination.