Our Equine Influenza Rules are in line with the BHA Rules. 

 Equine Influenza vaccination requirements 

From 1 January 2022, the primary course and booster interval schedule for Equine Influenza vaccinations will be amended as follows:

The European Horserace Scientific Liaison Committee (EHSLC) Board approved the above changes to vaccination protocols in October 2019, following consideration of advice from experts in equine infectious disease.

As communicated by the BHA in November 2019, it was initially proposed that the harmonisation changes come into effect from January 2021, subject to consultation with participants in each racing jurisdiction, which was subsequently delayed by the BHA due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The harmonised EHSLC primary course and six-monthly booster intervals will be published in the Rules of Racing from 1 January 2022, with the BHA and Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board (IHRB) taking a coordinated approach to implementation (please see below details of implementation and transition from current intervals to new).

Please note that the new primary course and booster intervals were implemented in both France and Germany on 5 May 2021, so horses entered to race in these jurisdictions must be compliant with the new requirements.

Primary course intervals

Primary course intervals are only required for horses that have not yet been administered a primary course or are required to re-start a new primary course.

Horses that have a compliant primary course and compliant subsequent boosters up to and including 31 December 2021 do not have to re-start the vaccination process.

Any horse starting a new primary course up to and including 31 December 2021 should continue with the current intervals, even if V2 and V3 are administered in 2022.

Any horse starting a primary course from 1 January 2022 must comply with the new intervals.

Six-monthly boosters

Boosters should be administered no more than six months apart, according to calendar months rather than a fixed number of days. For example, a horse that is fully vaccinated on 1 January would require a booster on or before 1 July.

We ask that trainers seek to move to the new vaccination schedule as soon as practicable. However, to help trainers implement the changes with minimal disruption to training, horses should be fully compliant with the new requirements by 1 January 2023.

This means that before 1 January 2023, race entry will not be refused on the grounds of having not yet commenced six-monthly boosters.

As of 1 January 2023, an Entry for a Race, or a Confirmation of Entry in respect of Early Closers, will not be accepted for any horse unless it has a correct vaccination record.

To be clear, all horses must have a compliant vaccination record by 1 January 2023 - i.e. all horses must have been administered a booster within six months of 1 January 2023.

• Horses that are due an annual booster between 1 January 2022 and 30 June 2022 will require a booster vaccination between 1 July 2022 and 31 December 2022 in order to be compliant by 1 January 2023.
• Horses that are due an annual booster between 1 July 2022 and 31 December 2022 will be compliant by 1 January 2023.
• N.B. horses that are vaccinated on 1 July 2022 will be due their next booster on or before 1 January 2023.

As under the existing Rules, there is no minimum interval for boosters.

Horses that do not have a compliant vaccination record as of 1 January 2023 will be required to re-start. Horses which have an interval of over six months between boosters will be required to re-start.

From 01 January 2022, the following changes have come into effect:

INTERVALS FROM 1 JANUARY 2022

V1

V2              21 – 60 days

V3              120 – 180 days

Booster     Not more than 6 months apart

• Horses that have a compliant primary course and compliant subsequent boosters up to and including 31 December 2021 do not have to re-start the vaccination process.
• Any horse which started a new primary course up to and including 31 December 2021 should continue with the Old Intervals, even if V2 and V3 are administered in 2022.
• Any horse starting a primary course from 01 January 2022 must comply with the New Intervals.

Please see the attached link for further information on vaccinations https://www.beva.org.uk/News/Latest-News/Details/BHA-Update---Equine-Influenza-Vaccination-Rules and also a link to a vaccination calendar which will help you work out when you need to have your booster done  BHA - Vaccination Calculator (horseracing.software)