Horse Welfare

The welfare of our horses is as important as that of our players, and the UKPA have a dedicated team focused on the four legged players of our sport. Each club and tournament has a designated person responsible for horse welfare, who in turn report to the UKPA’s Chief Horse Welfare Officer. A vet is always in attendance during play at a two-day tournament, and we also work closely with British Equestrian.

The full UKPA horse welfare procedures are laid out in the UKPA Handbook and these follow the British Equestrian requirements for its Member Bodies.

UKPA Vaccination Policy

Following the 2019 Equine Flu outbreak, the UKPA Exec agreed that it will be UKPA policy that all horses attending UKPA events are required to have an up to date flu vaccination status and records, to be produced on request at any time.

The 2019 UKPA Vaccination Policy is laid out below and we advise those who do not have a current Equine Flu vaccination in place to rectify this as soon as possible in order to be ready for the full playing season.

UKPA members should be aware that some venues will have their own policies in place regarding the Equine Flu vaccine, and that these policies will be applicable alongside our new UKPA requirements.

Please refer to the contact details below if you wish to check on specific venue rules for upcoming UKPA activities.

UKPA VACCINATION POLICY

Applicable to all UKPA tournaments, events and training sessions.

1. Passports

A valid passport and vaccination record:

• must accompany the Horse to all UKPA Events
• must be available for inspection
• must be produced on request at any other time during a UKPA Event

2. Vaccination Requirements

No Horse may take part in a UKPA Event (which includes entering the penning area / stables) unless it has a current vaccination against equine influenza which complies with the following conditions:

• Two injections for primary vaccination, not less than 21 days and not more than 92 days apart, are required before being eligible to compete.
• A first booster injection must be given not less than 150 days and not more than 215 days after the second injection of primary vaccination.
• Subsequent booster injections must be given at intervals of not more than one year, commencing after the first booster injection.
• The Record of Vaccination(s) in the Horse’s passport must be completed by the appropriate veterinary surgeon in which the record of injection(s) is completed, signed and stamped line by line.

3. Timeframes

No relevant injection may have been given on the day of competition or on any of the 6 days before a competition.

No Horse whose latest booster vaccination is more than 14 days overdue may take part in an Event under any circumstances. Horses where the latest booster vaccination is overdue by no more than 14 days at the time of the tournament may be allowed to participate at the discretion of tournament organiser in consultation with the tournament veterinary surgeon and Horse Welfare Officer.